The Kebbi Government has entered into partnership with an International Phamaceutical Company, Johnson and Johnson, to bolster the ongoing fight against HIV, improve mental health and oncology.
Mallam Yahaya Sarki, Special Adviser to Gov. Atiku Bagudu on Media, disclosed this in a statement, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.
Bagudu disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi at the opening of a 4-day Training workshop on HIV Management, Mental Health and Oncology for Kebbi health workers.
He said that the partnership would provide wonderful opportunity to the state to boost ongoing efforts to turn the tide against the HIV scourge, and facilitate further research, innovations and treatment of patients.
Bagudu said: “We will learn more from each other , exchange knowledge and share it a lot .
“Knowledge is not the exclusive preserve of any group of person or persons, it can be shared.”
He observed that the partnership would provide opportunities for internships by students as well as collaboration with researchers .
The governor also lauded the State Commissioner for Health and his team and all stakeholders for ensuring the success of all health programmes and policies of his administration.
He commended his wife, Dr Zainab Bagudu, for playing key roles in ensuring that people of the state benefited from better healthcare services, and for facilitating the workshop and partnership with Johnson and Johnson.
While appreciating the company, Bagudu observed that Johnson and Johnson remained a popular multinational corporation on pharmaceutical and consumer goods.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Jaafar Muhammad said the workshop was aimed at giving further training to improve the knowledge of healthcare workers for better service delivery in the state.
“The workshop can help improve the capacity of our healthcare workers so that they can improve quality services at our health facilities,” he said.
Muhammad expressed gratitude to the governor for giving the ministry the opportunity to organise the training, and urged the participants to take use the opportunity to optimise their skills and deliver good services to people.
The governor’s wife, Zainab, in a virtual address during the program, thanked the governor, ministry of health and Johnson and Johnson West Africa for collaborating to host the workshop.
The governor’s wife assured of her unwavering support to the health sector in the state.
The program featured questions and answers as well as virtual presentations by Dr Philip Nwojiabi Princewill of National Hospital Abuja, a Consultant Microbiologist, on Initiating Patients on Anti-Retroviral Therapy.
Prof. Oche Agbaji, a Consultant and HIV Specialist from University Teaching Hospital Jos, gave an update on the use of Protease Inhibitors in the Management of Treatment Failures.
Both commended Kebbi government for the bold initiative to partner with Johnson and Johnson West Africa to provide better healthcare services to people of the state.
The 70 participants attending the 4-day training workshop included, Principal Medical Officers from 31 General Hospitals in the state, Nurses, Midwives and Lab Scientists.
