Borno State has emerged the winner of the maiden Primary Healthcare Leadership Award both at the national and regional levels for the year 2022.

The win entitled Borno State to receive $700,000 for winning the national champion award and another $500,000 for winning the northeast zonal champion award, totalling $1.2 million.

The Primary Healthcare Leadership Award was held for the first time and it was initiated by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) in collaboration with UNICEF, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and the National Healthcare Development Agency.

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Receiving the award at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, May 17, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, thanked the organisers for the recognition, saying the award would inspire his administration to continue to prioritise healthcare delivery to ensure all citizens have access to quality and affordable healthcare services.

Zulum noted that his administration has established and renovated over 200 healthcare establishments across the 27 Local Government Areas of Borno State, adding that his government has recruited about 1,000 medical doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and lab technicians deployed to healthcare centres.

The UNICEF’s country representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, and the Managing Director of Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, in their separate remarks, urged stakeholders to work harder towards addressing challenges of the Nigerian primary healthcare system.

They cited a lack of personnel, infrastructure, and nutritional deficit among children, particularly in the rural areas.

The Star