By Amos Tauna
Kaduna ( Nigeria) – The Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Shehu Usman Muhammad, has observed that the outside home eating habits by men in northern Nigeria is negatively affecting the health of their family.
“Initially, men used to eat all the times with their families but of recent, they have started developing eating outside the home leaving the wife and the children to eat whatever that is available,” he lamented.
Receiving a coalition of faith based organisation under the auspices of Interfaith Mediation Centre, Kaduna who paid him an advocacy visit in his office, the permanent secretary explained that for the family to eat qualitative food, men have to be educated to rescind from eating outside which has been detrimental to their families.
“Religious leaders have to help spread the message, so that men will take up their normal responsibilities of feeding the family appropriately to reduce malnutrition among children in northern Nigeria.”
Mal. Muhammad explained that the Ministry and the Medical Directors Manning the health centres were always in consultations of how best to address health related issues in the various communities in the state.
He added that the issue of drugs were being addressed with a view to making the commodity available and affordable to users in the state.
He thanked the interfaith organisations for their concern and observation on health related issues in the state while assuring them of the state government’s commitment towards addressing any health issue especially malnutrition and other child related diseases..
He assured that the doors of the Ministry were widely opened to people or groups with observations on the best way to move the state forward health wise, adding, “Governor El-Rufai is very conscious of what is happening and so also the Commissioner and other staff of the Ministry who are working round the clock to ensure a healthy state.”
Earlier, the spokesman for  the group, Andy Bako, had told the Permanent Secretary to consider and ensure routine immunisation, family planning and timely release of the amount so allocated, and treatment for childhood diseases, as well as devising legal and administrative framework that would facilitate action on state Costed Implementation Plan and Primary Health Care Under One Roof.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/02/07/governance/nigeria-kaduna-legislature-okays-contributory-health-insurance-scheme-in-the-state/
