The Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly, Engr. Hamisu Chidari has on Friday vowed that the assembly would ensure speedy passage of the free maternal and child healthcare bill into law upon transmission to the assembly.
Chidari stated this during a 2-day legislative retreat on free maternal and child healthcare bills for principal officers of Kano State House of Assembly organized by Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED with support from Misereor/KZE Germany.
The Speaker promised that outcome from the retreat would not be swept under the carpet as it would accord it a priority and ensure its speedy passage.
In his words: “I am confident that at the end of the two-day retreat we will be able to come up with a final draft of the Kano State Maternal and Child Healthcare Bill that will be ready for onward transmission to Kano State House of Assembly.
“I would like to assure you that the outcome of this retreat will not be swept under carpet. As soon as the draft bill is transmitted to the house, we will give it all necessary considerations and speedy passage into law.
“On our part as legislators, the house is always Keen to step up efforts in providing legislation that will improve the lives and well-being of the people we represent,” he stated.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Centre’s Executive Director, Ibrahim Zikirullahi said it is optimistic that the State House of Assembly will use its Legislative powers to advance this cause and give hope to the citizens by putting in place a law to back the free maternal and child healthcare policy in the state.
Zikirullahi recalled that the then Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso had in 2001 declared free maternal and child healthcare in the state, stressing the need for the passage of the bill into law in order to provide legal backing to the programme and ensure successive governments continued the programme to address the menace of preventable deaths in the state.
Similarly, a resource person with the Faculty of Law, Bayero University Kano, BUK, Prof. Abdulmumini Bala Ahmed said the bill if passed into law will serve as a landmark towards it drive to eliminate one of the major health hazards affecting the people of Kano State.
Meanwhile, the Program Manager of Misereor/KZE, Germany, Cosmas Olaniyan, commended the Center, for sustaining the cause since 2015 and hoped that the Legislative retreat will bring out applicable laws that will be beneficial to those who nurse the population to multiply for a sustainable society.