The Nasarawa State House of Assembly is to define the tenures of all heads of health institutions for effective service delivery and to boost health care services in the state.

To this end, the House has passed into second reading a bill for a Law to Establish the Nasarawa State Drugs and Supplies Management Agency and for Other Matters Connected Therewith and A bill for a Law to Establish Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Nasarawa State and for Other Matters Related Thereto.

Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi, the Speaker of the House announced the passage of the two bills into second reading during the House proceedings in Lafia on Tuesday.

He said that the two bills would have signficant impacts on the lives and health of the people of the state if finally passed into law.

” I will commit this bill for a Law to Establish the Nasarawa State Drugs and Supplies Management Agency and for Other Matters Connected Therewith to the House committee on Health to work on the bill and we are expecting the report on 16th December, 2020.

” I will also commit the bill for a Law to Establish Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Nasarawa State and for Other Matters Related Thereto to the House standing committee on Health to work on the bill and we are expecting the report on 16th December, 2020, ” he said.

The speaker appreciated Gov. Abdullahi Sule for initiating bills that would have direct bearing on the lives and health of the people of the state.

Earlier, Hon Tanko Tunga, the Majority Leader of the House while moving motions for the two bills to scale second reading respectively said that A bill for a Law to Establish the Nasarawa State Drugs and Supplies Management Agency and for Other Matters Connected Therewith was to select, quantify, source, procure, supply and distribute drugs for improved health care service delivery in the state.

Tunga while also giving the substance of a bill for a Law to Establish Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Nasarawa State and for Other Matters Related Thereto said that the bill is all about the structure and functions of the hospital as well as to define the tenure of the head of the hospital among other things.

Hon Danladi Jatau, the Minority leader of the House seconded the motions for the two bills to scale into second reading.

The minority leader said that if the bills passed into law, they would not only address the health challenges of the people of the state but would also promote peace and development, adding that, especially now that the bill would define the tenure of the head of the institution.

Jatau called on his colleagues to give the bill accelerated hearing.

The House unanimously agreed for the two bills to scale into second reading after inputs were made by Hon Mohammed Okpoku, Aliyu Dogara ,Mohammed Omadefu,Suleiman Azara and Labaran Shafa.

It was gathered that the house is presently attending to health bills which includes those of the state hospitals management board,state primary healthcare board and DASH aimed at among other things define tenure of heads of the institutions.

It was also gathered that most of the health institutions in the state have no definite laws stipulating the tenure of the heads of the health establishments which are lacunas among others that the bills are set to address.