By: Mukhtar Yahaya Shehu
Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has officially launched a Sickle Cell Centre to provide comprehensive care and treatment for people living with sickle cell disease in the state.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf while officially Launching the center at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano Municipal said the aim for the establishment of center is to tackle the high burden of Sickle cell Disease in the state.
During the event also Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf flagged off the symbolic distribution of free maternal and Accident & Emergency commodities, new hospital bed sheets, and 300 customised digital blood pressure monitors.
The governor said the Sickle Cell Centre would offer free diagnosis, counselling, treatment, follow-up care, patient education, health promotion, and specialised management of sickle cell disease under one roof.
The Governor assured patients of his administration’s unwavering commitment to providing adequate medicines and other essential support aimed at improving their health and wellbeing.
He explained that the decision to procure and distribute 300 customised digital blood pressure monitors to public servants and political appointees followed growing concerns over sudden deaths linked to hypertension, noting that the initiative would encourage regular health checks and promote a healthier workforce.
The governor reaffirmed that the free maternal and Accident & Emergency commodities programme had already saved thousands of lives across the state and pledged to sustain the intervention.
The Governor commended the Commissioner for Health, the management of the Hospital Management Board, healthcare workers, traditional rulers, and development partners for their collective efforts in transforming the state’s healthcare sector.
Speaking earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf described Governor Yusuf as a leader committed to improving the health of Kano residents, noting that healthcare facilities had witnessed remarkable upgrades since the administration came into office.
The commissioner pointed out that, maternal mortality had dropped significantly under the present administration, from over 1,300 recorded cases in 2023 to about 300 in 2026.
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the Hospital Management Board, Dr. Mansur Mudi Nagoda said the governor’s intervention would benefit thousands of residents, adding that the Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration had transformed the health sector to an unprecedented level.
According to Dr Mansur Mudi Nagoda said the intervention represent practical impression of the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf commitments to making quality Healthcare more acceptable, affordable and responsive to the need of state Citizens.
“The establishment of Sickle Cell Center is particularly significant through Abba Care Program that Thousands of people living with Sickle Cell Disease will benefit from the system of Free Healthcare support with services provided across the key Health Facilities in the state.” Dr Nagoda said.
The Executive Secretary also commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in his style of leadership and political commitments to transforming Healthcare delivery in the state.
During the day, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf also commissioned the Hajiya Bayero Paediatric Hospital after general renovation by the present administration.
