Gov Yusuf Inaugurates Sickle Cell Centre, Disease Control Facility In Kano

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, on Monday inaugurated a Sickle Cell Centre to provide comprehensive care for people living with sickle cell disease and commissioned a new office complex for the Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC).

The governor also flagged off the distribution of 300 customised digital blood pressure monitors to public servants and political appointees, alongside the symbolic distribution of free maternal and Accident and Emergency commodities, as well as new hospital bed sheets, at the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital in Kano.

Speaking at the event, Yusuf said the newly established Sickle Cell Centre would offer free diagnosis, counselling, treatment, follow-up care, patient education, health promotion and specialised management of sickle cell disease under one roof.

He said the initiative was aimed at improving the quality of life of people living with the condition by ensuring they have access to essential medicines and specialised care.

The governor also described the commissioning of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control office complex as a major milestone in strengthening the state’s disease surveillance and emergency response system.

According to him, the facility will enhance Kano’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond swiftly to epidemic-prone diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and meningitis.

Yusuf commended development partners for supporting the establishment of the centre, expressing confidence that it would serve the people of Kano effectively.

Explaining the distribution of digital blood pressure monitors, the governor said the intervention was prompted by increasing concerns over sudden deaths linked to hypertension among public officials.

He noted that regular blood pressure monitoring and early detection would help reduce preventable deaths associated with the condition.

The governor also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining the free maternal and Accident and Emergency commodities programme, stating that it has already saved thousands of lives across the state.

He commended the Commissioner for Health, the Kano State Hospital Management Board, healthcare workers, traditional rulers and development partners for their contributions to improving healthcare delivery.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Yusuf, said the administration had made significant investments in the health sector since assuming office, adding that the newly commissioned disease control centre was conceived, completed and inaugurated under Governor Yusuf’s leadership to strengthen disease prevention and emergency response across the state’s 44 local government areas.

He disclosed that maternal mortality had dropped significantly from more than 1,300 recorded cases in 2023 to about 300 in 2026, attributing the improvement to the government’s healthcare interventions.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Hospital Management Board, Dr. Mansur Nagoda, described the governor’s interventions as a major boost to healthcare delivery, saying sustained investments in infrastructure, equipment and essential services had transformed the state’s health sector.

The inauguration forms part of the Kano State Government’s broader efforts to improve healthcare through expanded access to specialised treatment, stronger disease surveillance, enhanced maternal healthcare and preventive medical services.