Mens Sana Congratulates Kano and Pfizer
The health-sector Non-Governmental Organisation, MENS SANA, has congratulated both the Kano State Government and pharmaceutical giants Pfizer on their recent out-of-court settlement mutually endorsed last week. In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Hajiya Muslima A. Kadi, the organization said the settlement would achieve the following: (1) Financial relief for the patients and their families; (2) Upgrade of facilities and general rehabilitation of the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kano; (3) Improved training programmes for health personnel and (4) Capacity building to enable the state better cope with epidemics of meningitis in future.
The organization is impressed with the caliber of people nominated to serve on the Board of Trustees of the two Committees for the Healthcare/Meningitis Fund and Healthcare Initiatives respectively. According to MENS SANA, “It is hoped that the Board will be alive to its responsibilities and prevent fraud either in the process of disbursement of funds to participants or in the award of contracts for projects”.
Continuing, the statement said, “We want to caution the members not to allow their venerable names to be soiled by desperate fraudsters who are lurking around the corner with various schemes. Experience has shown us in this country in the past that assembling a galaxy of men of timbre alone is not enough insurance against misappropriation.”
The NGO therefore vowed to maintain vigilance over the entire process and urged all other civil society groups to do the same. “Having come thus far, we cannot afford to leave the whole process in the hands of the Boards alone. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that for once maximum good is derived from the Pfizer funds whose timing can be deemed providential. Convinced that the challenge of achieving this noble goal has only just begun, we shall deploy our personnel and resources to continually monitor the activities and decisions of the Boards in the interest of the larger society”, said the statement.
Applauding the fatherly role of the Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero and the level-headedness of Governor Shekarau, the statement specially commended General Yakubu Gowon for working tirelessly to bring both parties together to reach an amicable settlement. The press release further applauded Pfizer for living up to its billing as a responsible corporate citizen.
