The Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED) has urged the Kano State House of Assembly to provide funds and ensure full implementation of the Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Law in the 2026 budget.
CHRICED made the call in a memorandum presented during the public hearing on the 2026 budget held at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano.
Addressing lawmakers, CHRICED said it was worrying that two and a half years after the law was passed and signed in 2023, it is yet to be implemented.
“It has been two and a half years since the Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Law was assented to, yet its implementation remains stalled,” the organisation said.
“This does not do honour to the Assembly that worked hard to pass the law, nor to the people of Kano State who are meant to benefit from it.”
CHRICED noted that despite repeated budget allocations to health, education and social services, the situation on the ground, especially in rural communities, remains poor, with preventable deaths still occurring among mothers and children.
The group cited findings from its recent Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) conducted across 91 Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in 11 local government areas.
According to CHRICED, many facilities lack basic infrastructure such as reliable electricity, clean water and functional delivery rooms.
It added that LGAs like Kibiya and Gwarzo recorded infrastructure readiness below 24 per cent, leading to low use of health services, while about 46 per cent of patients still pay out of pocket at PHCs meant to provide affordable care.
CHRICED also raised concern over frequent drug shortages, saying essential medicines such as Magnesium Sulphate were unavailable for an average of 15 days in a month.
“These failures translate into unacceptably high maternal and child mortality risks. Every preventable death is not just a statistic, it is a family shattered, a community weakened, and a future cut short.”
While acknowledging ongoing initiatives like the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiatives (MAMII) and the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), CHRICED said these efforts would not achieve the desired results without full implementation of the Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Law.
The group urged the Assembly to immediately establish the Free Maternal and Child Health Consultative Council as required by the law and to make dedicated budgetary provisions in 2026 to operationalise it.
It also called for stronger legislative oversight to ensure that funds approved in the budget translate into real improvements in health services across the state.
“The Rt. Hon. Speaker and Honourable Members, history will not judge this Assembly by the number of laws it passed, but by the lives those laws saved. The 2026 budget presents an opportunity to choose life, dignity, and accountability for the people of Kano State.
“Let this budget be remembered as the year Kano turned promises into action, laws into lifelines, and allocations into real improvements in the quality of life.
“CHRICED stands ready to support this Assembly in ensuring that governance delivers for the people,” the memorandum concluded.
Fund, implement maternal, child health law in 2026 budget – CHRICED urges Kano Assembly
