Lara Adejoro
The Federal Government has charged Zamfara, Jigawa, Kebbi, Katsina, Gombe, Taraba, Niger, and Bayelsa states to work on improving their childhood immunisation targets.
The Federal Government said this on Tuesday at the end of the Public Health Care Memorandum of Understanding biannual Partners Review Meeting held in Abuja.
Speaking, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib said primary health delivery is principally about reaching the underserved populations in the communities through immunisation.
Shuaib who was represented by the Director of PHC Development, Dr. Ngozi Nwosu, maintained that primary health delivery is principally about reaching the underserved populations in the communities.
The Reportr Door reports that Gavi earmarked $50 million and 13 Toyota Hilux vehicles, and 420 motorcycles as part of efforts to support the eight states in taking healthcare and routine immunisation to hard-to-reach areas.
The NPHCDA also charged beneficiary states on accountability, efficient and effective utilization of the fund, and donated vehicles for the benefit of the citizens in their various states.
“Therefore, for most of our time, we are on the field, taking health care services to the people. These vehicles will help improve logistics and PHC service delivery.
“The vehicles we are receiving today is yet another demonstration of true partnership and commitment of GAVI to the health and wellbeing of Nigerian people.
“GAVI, UNICEF and other partners have indeed been trusted technical and funding partners to the government of Nigeria, and have continued to stand by NPHCDA in every sense of our mandate.
“In fact, if we are to bring every support we receive from Gavi and UNICEF into public communication, I assure you will be receiving the story every other day,” he added.
The Director General of Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat, Asishana Okauru, said the aim of Gavi distributed vehicles, motorcycles and boats to aid logistics.
“As chairpersons of state PHC task force teams, you are to provide oversight of the implementation of this MOU, ensure funds are utilised for purposes earmarked for, and procured items maintained because the performance of these eight states might influence future funding mechanism by partners’’.
Meanwhile, the Director, High Impact Countries, Tokunbo Oshin disclosed that the organisation is supporting Nigeria to graduate from its support by 2028.
“We decided to focus on the few states in Nigeria that have weak indicators of health system strengthening and to see how we can have more direct engagement with state levels and see how we can offer more direct supports to really ensure service can reach women and children and have more impacting results
On the sustainability of the programme, the Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi said efforts are being put in place to strengthen healthcare academic institutions in the state.
He said the state is training medical students in the state to man the health facilities as grade level 10 salary will be offered to qualified nurses and midwives at the clinical level to encourage them to discharge their duty for the development of healthcare in the state.
He said the aim is to have at least four midwives in each health centers and absorbs those employed by Gavi and also employ medical graduates on scholarship to ensure sustainability and improvement in the healthcare system in the state
Also the Deputy Governor of Zamfara state, Muhammad Nasiha said a security committee headed by him has been constituted in the state to ensure the safety of healthcare workers get to hard to reach areas to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and to ramp up immunisation and bring to the end zero doses in Zamfara state.
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