• Donates 198 motorcycles for immunisation
Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State to implement the Primary Health Care (PHC) Under One Roof Policy to tackle the spate of unvaccinated children in the state.
The UNICEF Chief, Kano Field Office, Mr. Rahama Farah, made the appeal at the launch of the distribution of 198 motorcycles and a Hilux vehicle to routine immunisation officers and ward focal persons in Katsina.
The motorcycles and the Hilux vehicle were procured under the GAVI-funded PHC MOU Health Systems Strengthening initiative in Nigeria and donated to the state government by UNICEF.
Farah said the implementation of the policy would strengthen the state’s healthcare system and pave the way for the establishment of one-stop functional primary healthcare centres in all the 361 wards of the state.
Represented by UNICEF Health Specialist, Ms Abimbola Aman-Oloniyo, Farah explained that the state has eight local government areas with a high number of zero-dose children (unvaccinated children) that are vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.
He said: “Nigeria has 100 LGAs that have been categorised as ‘Zero Dose LGAs’ in view of the high number of children who have never received vaccinations in those LGAs. Of these, Katsina has eight LGAs, namely, Batagarawa, Baure, Funtua, Kankara, Katsina, Mani, Rimi and Safana.
“The zero-dose children remain vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases, along with un/under-immunised or ‘missed dose’ children which refers to those who do not complete their immunisation as in National Immunization schedule.”
He therefore urged the government to tame persistent gaps in human resources, quality and distribution of critical cadres of health workers, including vaccinators, Community Health Influencer and Promoter Service (CHIPS) agents for immunisation.
He also called on the state government to provide essential medicines, health commodities, infrastructure, electricity and water supply for quality integrated primary health care service for the citizens.
Farah, however, admonished women to take tetanus and diphtheria vaccines during pregnancy and ensure that their children under the age of two receive all relevant childhood vaccines as contained in Nigeria’s routine immunisation schedule.
In his remarks, Radda promised to establish 361 functional healthcare facilities across the 361 political wards of the state before the end of his administration.
He added that his administration would embark on revolving healthcare programmes and policies that will significantly improve healthcare delivery in the state.
