…As 2 million children get immunized in 2 day
As part of efforts to support pregnant women and to protect children against deadly diseases, wife of the Niger state Governor, Hajia Fatima Mohammed Umaru Bago has called on women in the state to visit health facilities to enjoy free healthcare services across the state.
While making the appeal on Tuesday at the Flag off Programme of Niger state Ministry of Primary Health Care at the Emir Palace in Minna organized by the Niger state Ministry of Primary Health Care at the Emir’s Palace in Minna, Hajia Fatima Bago said, it is most important, especially with the onset of the extreme hot season.
According to her, “I call on mothers and caregivers to take their wards for immunization, because the vaccines are free, safe and available to protect our children against deadly diseases.”
While commending the Ministry, she said “I am delighted to distribute the “Mamma Kits” as a personal initiative of my office to support pregnant women who come to deliver in our health facilities.
“These kits will be distributed to the Primary and Secondary health facilities across the 25 Local Government Areas of the State.
“It is my fervent hope that going forward we will sustain the availability of Mama Kits across all our health facilities. I am hopeful that this intervention will have a direct impact in attracting pregnant women to deliver in the clinics and hence reduction in maternal mortality.”
Also, she said “to strengthen service delivery, monitoring and supervision, and distribution of essential commodities, we are deploying motorcycles to our Primary Healthcare Departments for emergency services to the hard to reach areas of the state.”
Furthermore, Hajia Fatima Bago said the government has introduced the Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Foods to be used for the treatment of severe malnutrition in children. “As we all know, Nutrition plays a cardinal role in the life of a child for quality growth and development”.
In his remarks, Commissioner for Primary Health Care, Dr. Ibrahim Dangana said through the blessing of Governor Umaru Bago the Ministry has disbursed the sun of N300,750 to all 274 focal facilities (N82,405,504) across the state.
According to him “all the facilities have received the sum of N300,000 direct funding to enable them procure essential medicines and commodities around the services effectively such that we will have strengthened routine immunization, antenatal care, family services, nutrition as well as conducting service to other hard to reach communities around them.”
He further charged mothers to avail themselves at all Primary health care facilities and to access the commodities, adding that the Ministry is working closely with sister agencies for the effective implementation of all healthcare policies in the state.
In their goodwill messages, the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) hailed the state for the flag off.
The State Team Lead, UNICEF, Mrs Grace Odeyemi and the Country Director, WHO Dr. Walter Kazadi, represented by State Coordinator, Dr. Suleiman Aliyu, said “we are marveled at the success within few days. As at today, over two million children have so far been immunized in Niger state.”
It should be noted that, Data tools and kits were also provided for Community Health Influencers Promoters and Services (CHIPS) agents.
