In a high-level strategy session, a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), media professionals, and youth leaders met to bridge the “deadly gap” between healthcare services and the communities that need them most.
While money is often blamed for healthcare failures, Dr. Farida Azira Abdul Malik representing the kanSlam co-chair pharmacist Maimuna yakubu Muhammad argues that the real solution lies in transparency and ownership.
“Funding is never enough,” Dr. Abdul Malik noted.
The Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) must be accountable for every naira spent, and the community must realize these services belong to them.
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when communities feel they “own” their local clinics, the quality of care rises.
Zainab Nasir, Executive Director of YOSPIS, highlighted that the biggest barrier for young people isn’t a lack of interest, but a lack of awareness.
“This engagement is crucial to getting youth on track to participate fully in community development,” she said.
For the first time, youth are being positioned as the primary engines of health advocacy.
As the largest demographic in Kano, their voices have been historically side-lined in policy-making.
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On his part, a member of the Disability Projects Initiative (DPI) Seifulahi Moktar Sadiq issued a powerful reminder said persons with disabilities must be integrated into every health initiative.
“This is a neglected area,” Sadiq stated, pledging that future advocacy will ensure specialized inclusion within the healthcare system.
To see immediate results, the coalition is focusing on “High Impact” interventions cost-effective actions that save the most lives for the least cost.
As Most maternal and infant deaths in Kano are preventable.
