Replicate Achievements in Mando PHC in Rural Areas – UNICEF Task Kaduna Government
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), has charged the Kaduna State Government to replicate what they are doing at the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), Mando in all the wards in the state to allow children and women in rural areas access to quality healthcare service.
Country Representative, UNICEF Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, gave charge in Kaduna on Wednesday when he paid a working visit to PHC Mando in Igabi Local Government Area in the state.
He commended the state government for her effort of making the PHC a one stop shop, saying “this is a truly one stop centre, one stop being there is immunization, there ante natal and there is nutritional supplementation that were required, you can that women are traveling from 70 kilometres to access the service and they have confidence to do that.
“The challenge now is not only to have this place, but similar places in the rural areas. I know that government of Kaduna are doing a lot to expand the primary healthcare system and we need to keep going and UNICEF is here to provide technical assistance and support so that every ward has a one stop primary healthcare centre that can facilitate ante natal, immunization and nutrition, all at the same time.
“The state government and the LGAs are doing a lot as we can see here, to ensure that the facilities have water, have the right amount human resources, have the right amount of vaccines, drugs and all the other services that are required.”
He said if the expansion is done, the women may not need to travel 70 kilometres, spending #700 to access the services.
If you have an emergency case how to you get referred quickly enough, as a pregnant young lady to come to facility like this or refer you to the hospital should it be required, that’s where the life saving elements of this kind of place is in actual fact.
Earlier, Dr. Adam Zakari, UNICEF Kaduna, Chief of Field Office, said they took advantage the Reps visit to Kaduna to go to Mando PHC, as an opportunity to see first hand how the partnership between the state and other donors has developed the facility.
He thanked the community and other stakeholders for their efforts, adding that UNICEF is looking forward to a day when all issues surrounding child survival will be completely death with.
On his part, Dr Hamza Abubakar, Executive Secretary, Kaduna State Primary Health Care Development Agency, said that the state government would do all it can to ensure functional PHC in every ward in the state.
Abukara, who was represented by Deputy Director, PHC in the agency, Hamza Ikara, said that all the 255 PHCs would soon be provided with solar power as part of efforts to provide 24 hour services.
He further said that the government had also concluded plan to recruit more than 3,000 health workers between December 2019 and April 2020.
He thanked UNICEF and other development partners for the support, which according to him have been very fruitful.
Similarly, the Director, PHC in the LGA, Habila Barem, explained that with UNICEF support, the state is providing various community-driven healthcare services to women and children in 64 health facilities in the area.
Also speaking, the Ward Development Committee Chairman, Abdullahi Afaka, disclosed that the perimetre fencing of Mando PHC was done through community efforts as part of community participation in the provision of healthcare services.
Afaka, who is also the community Facility Chairman, added that the community equally provided furniture and other facilities for smooth running of the facility.
