By Iliya Kure
Lagos (Nigeria) — Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state, in northern Nigeria, has assented to the Kano State Health Trust Fund Law (KHETFUND).
The Law is meant to provide sustainable financing window to the health sector in the state, to be funded via a monthly 5% deduction of the total revenue generated from taxation and 1% monthly from total statutory allocation to the 44 LGAs of state.
The KHETFUND Bill received an overwhelming support from Assembly Members when they voted on it in July.
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR), estimates that despite Nigeria’s economic recession, the Fund will generate at least N2.5billion yearly to the Kano State health sector.
A statement by CHR says, the organisation “has led a successful, rigorous and back to back 10 months advocacy and technical support upon a formal written invitation by the Kano State Legislative Assembly to develop and pass the bill into law”.
The Statement signed by Asmau Ahmad, further says, “Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has expressed his passionate and final commitment to assent the law this week during his council meeting, at the end of a closed-door meeting that ended at the early hours of Monday 30th October 2017, precisely 3am, with his Commissioner of Health, Dr Kabir Ibrahim Getso and Dr Aminu Magashi Garba, the Chair, Board of Trustees of Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR)”.
