Sokoto Moves to Establish Family Health Department

The Sokoto State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to establishing a Department of Family Health within the State Ministry of Health as part of efforts to strengthen maternal and child healthcare services.
This assurance was given by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar, during an advocacy visit by the Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr. Salma Anas, who sought the state’s support for the creation of the department. Dr. Anas said the initiative was aimed at addressing structural gaps identified in maternal health service delivery across the country by creating a dedicated institutional framework for family health services at the federal, state and local government levels.
She noted that states such as Lagos and Ondo have already established similar departments with dedicated budget lines and expressed confidence that Sokoto would soon follow suit. Also speaking, Dr. Suleiman Lamurde of the Federal Ministry of Health urged stakeholders to prioritise the welfare of citizens in the process, while Dr. Josephine Adebombo of the Society for Family Health commended the Sokoto State technical team for developing the proposed departmental structure.
Responding, Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar thanked the presidential adviser and her delegation for the visit and reiterated the commitment of the Sokoto State Government under Governor Ahmed Aliyu to the initiative. He disclosed that the process was already at an advanced stage, with most of the technical work completed and budgetary provisions being considered for the formal establishment of the department. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Ibrahim Haliru Dingyadi, also assured the delegation of the ministry’s full administrative support to ensure the successful take-off and operation of the Department of Family Health. The meeting was attended by senior government officials, health agency heads and development partners.