Sokoto State Government has signed an agreement with Federal Government to deploy medical consultants and resident doctors working at the Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital Sokoto (UDUTH) to state-owned health facilities.
Malam Imam Imam, Special Adviser to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Media and Public Relations, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.
Imam said that the planned deployment of the consultants and doctors was aimed at taking professional personnel services to rural areas across the state.
He said that Gov. Tambuwal signed the agreement on behalf of the state while the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, signed on behalf of the Federal Government at a brief ceremony in Abuja.
The adviser described the strategic partnership as the first of its kind in Nigeria.
He expressed optimism that the partnership would boost healthcare delivery and provide avenue for training of health personnel of state government hospitals.
“With 100 consultants and 30 professors of medicine in its employ, UDUTH will deploy them to state government health facilities across the state while the state government and the Federal Government share the burden of their entitlements for the period they are at work with us.
“Basically, the agreement boarders on five thematic areas. One, the Teaching Hospital would deploy consultants to cover three state-owned hospitals within Sokoto metropolis while the state would pay certain remunerations to the consultants.
“Two, the teaching hospital would assign resident doctors to six general hospitals in the state; two resident doctors will be assigned to each of the three senatorial district in the state.
“Three, the resident doctors would then be supervised by consultants,’’ Imam said.
Imam added that the four segment if the agreement was deployment of Teaching Hospital experts for state organised outreach programmes and in turn, it would share the cost of such outreaches with the Federal Government.
“Finally, the agreement covers ambulance service programme whereby the state would provide ambulances at major entry and exit points of Sokoto, while the FG would provide personnel who will provide emergency services,’’ he added.
Imam further said the ambulance services to be provided were aimed at reducing mortality at various scenes of accidents in the state.
He said during the signing of the MoU ceremony, the Health Minister commended the state government for the innovation that was geared towards better and enhanced quality healthcare delivery in the state.
He added that both governments reiterated their commitments to providing quality healthcare services to all Nigerians in order to achieve the universal coverage in the sector.
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