Northern Govs sign MoU with GE for Upgrade of Health Care Infrastructure

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri
Northern State Governors have signed a memorandum of understanding with General Electric, an American multinational corporation for the upgrade of healthcare infrastructure in all 19 states of the region.

Signing the MoU on behalf of his colleagues, Borno Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, challenged General Electric to produce practical results by next year.

General Electric was represented by ‎the corporation’s Vice Chairman/President Global Growth, John Rice‎ ‎and the President, Chief Executive Officer of G‎.E, Dr. Lazarus Angbazo during the signing ceremony that took place on Monday night at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua centre in Abuja and had in attendance Health Commissioners from different Northern States.

The Northern Nigeria Global Economic Re-integration Program (NNGERP) created by the Northern Governors under the chairmanship of former Presidential economic Adviser, Dr. Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, is to work with GE to drive the implementation, on behalf of the northern governors.

According to five provisions of the MoU, the G.E is to develop  ‎specialised hospitals and diagnostic centers of excellence; build the capacity of healthcare professions; ‎‎revitalize primary and referral healthcare to support attainment of universal health care coverages; manage equipment services Projects, including technology, services & maintenance and explore‎‎ local bio-manufacturing solutions, making five pillars, Agbazo, President of GE, Nigeria, explained in his remark.

Shettima said the 19 northern governors have confidence in the commitment of G.E, insisting that there is urgent need for results of the MoU in the coming year in order to translate partnership ‘from paper to people.’
He said: “I will like to emphasise the wish and commitment of the Northern Governors Forum that by next year, our partnership with the G.E should take practical stock of what we should have been able to accomplish.

“I would wish us to be in any of the northern states to see what we are able to improve. I will rule out Borno so as not to be selfish. By being able to showcase a practical difference, we will be translating the covenant of our signatures from the pages to the people.

“The NGF is absolutely committed to this partnership and we have supreme confidence in our selfless and versatile Malam Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, who is heading the Northern Nigeria Global Economic Re-integration Programme which is the facilitator of today’s partnership.
“As we go towards implementation, we should bear in mind that the lives of many people in Northern Nigeria depend on how quickly we are able to continually improve access to quality and affordable healthcare.”
He lamented that: “The North is dealing with five most serious problems; low literacy, poverty, poor healthcare, unproductive population and bad economic position.”

He said: “To borrow from conclusions of one thoroughly researched presentation by former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Dr. Suleyman Ndanusa, out of 79.6 million Nigerians living in poverty more than fifty million of them, representing about seventy per cent live in the 19 States of Northern Nigeria.

“The result has been lack of affordability for the most basic of healthcare services. Series of report by the World Health Organisation gives records of a high maternal, infant and under five-old mortality in the northern population. I am sure someone here, would naturally ask the question, what are Northern Governors doing to save the situation?
“From our thorough analysis, we have since resolved to productively invest on sound and measured basic education. We resolved to have strong bias for girl-child education.”

He noted that: “An educated woman will go for anti natal care rather than paying attention to any untrained traditional birth attendant. An educated woman will not allow  herself to be used by any man to procreate dozens of children without being responsible for their healthcare, their education and without putting food on the table. We are approaching the whole problems through a social scientific approach.”