Gov. Jonah Jang of Plateau said on Thursday that his administration was more committed to fighting and eradicating polio, one of the childhood killer diseases.
?Jang expressed the commitment in Jos while inaugurating a 19-member State Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee (ICC), which has the Deputy Governor, Mr Ignatius Longjan, as Chairman.
?“It’s a fact that the northern part of Nigeria witnessed outbreaks of polio and other vaccine preventable diseases because of weak coordination, weak service delivery and lack of awareness and commitment to immunisation services.
?“But my administration is determined to achieve the Millennium Development Goals four and five, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health respectively in the state.
“The state will stop at nothing in providing our citizens qualitative and adequate healthcare service delivery, second to none in Nigeria, “ the governor said.
?He said that this was why his administration had advertised for the renovation of the dilapidated structures and the construction of additional health facilities.
Jang said the state spearheaded and conducted three rounds of polio campaigns last year, namely, Community Leaders Against Polio (CLAP), Youth Against Polio (YAP) and Sub Immunisation Plus Days (SIPDs).
?The governor said that the steps were in response to the resolution reached at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum that the state would do everything within its power to properly fund, support, implement and monitor the programme.
?He urged the committee to ensure active participation of all stakeholders to the sustainability of the immunisation programme at the grassroots, in particular, and primary healthcare activities in general.
Longjan thanked the governor for finding them worthy to serve in that capacity and pledged to do their best to ensure that the state was ranked first in the fight against polio.