Naira Scarcity: Kaduna Govt Provides Free Medical Care, Transportation

In a bid to alleviate the effects of naira scarcity in the state, the Kaduna State government will be providing free transportation and medical care as well as other palliatives.

Muyiwa Adekeye, the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna.

He said the government was aware of the hardship caused by the scarcity of the banknotes and was determined to cushion the effects of the naira redesign on the people of the state.

The statement read: “The State Security Council took recommendations on ways of mitigating the impact of cash shortage on citizens.

“The measures are designed to provide a measure of immediate relief to problems caused by the lack of cash by citizens to pay for services like transportation, health care, and necessities like food.

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“The Council, therefore, adopted these three emergency palliative measures to last for a week, starting from Wednesday, 22nd February.

“Kaduna State Government will provide free transport services along designated routes in Kaduna, Kafancha, and Zaria, the three biggest cities in the state. This will be done in partnership with the transport unions, who will provide the busses and tricycles.

“The Kaduna State public health system will offer free routine care in government hospitals for common illnesses like malaria and typhoid. This is in addition to the free care for pregnant women and children younger than five years that has been government policy since 2015.

“Prescriptions will be given, and the health facility visited will administer drugs, if available. Provision of palliatives, as was done during the response to the Covid 19 outbreak will also take immediate effect.”