The Kano State Ministry of Information and Internal Affairs has pledged to collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health and development partners to create widespread awareness about the provision of free Azithromycin Oral Suspension to children across the state, aimed at protecting them from dangerous childhood illnesses.
The Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, disclosed on Wednesday, while receiving a delegation from the Kano State Ministry of Health, the Primary Health Care Management Board, and other health partners who paid him an advocacy visit at the ministry.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Director of Special Assignments, Hajiya Halima Ahmad Ishaq, said the ministry would deploy all its communication channels, including radio, television and social media platforms, to educate the public on the importance of the exercise.
Comrade Waiya added that Information Officers attached to the Local Government Areas across the state would be mobilized to disseminate information at the grassroots level and encourage active community participation in the programme.
He commended the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for prioritizing the health and well-being of children and supporting interventions aimed at reducing childhood illnesses and deaths.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and Coordinator, Advocacy, Communication and Community Engagement, Dr. Nasir Sani Gwarzo, explained that the program, which is in its third round, would provide free Azithromycin Oral Suspension to children aged between 1 and 59 months.
He noted that the medicine helps protect children against serious illnesses such as diarrhoea, pneumonia, and skin infections.
Dr. Gwarzo assured parents and caregivers that Azithromycin is safe, effective, and provided free of charge by the government.
He further stated that during the six-day exercise, trained health workers would go from house to house in 36 selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) to administer the medicine to eligible children.
