KADUNA — The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Friday donated Personal Preventive Equipment (PPEs) to health facilities in Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi and the Gombe States.
Ms. Mariama Darboe, Programme Coordinator and Head of Office, UNFPA Decentralised Office for Northern Nigeria, made this known in Kaduna.
Darboe handed over the PPEs for Kaduna, Kano, and Sokoto to the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) for distribution to benefiting health facilities in the states.
She explained that the gesture was to support the states’ COVID-19 response, under the United Nations Basket Fund Support to the National COVID-19 Multi-sectoral Pandemic Response in 10 states in Nigeria.
Darboe listed the PPEs for the five states as 12,000 surgical face masks, 18,000 long and short gloves and 94 medical protective goggles
According to her, the effort will also improve gender equity and social inclusion and ease access to essential sexual and reproductive health and maternity care services.
“UNFPA has engaged three Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) namely PPFN, Women, Health and Action Research Centre, and Education for Vaccine in the implementation of the project.
“This is to complement the efforts of the relevant Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) as well as grassroots organizations and communities in the delivery of essential sexual and reproductive health services in the states.
“Communities are also being mobilised to create awareness and reverse the negative impact of COVID-19,” she said.
She said that the CSOs would work closely with relevant MDAs to facilitate the distribution of the PPEs in the identified high burden health facilities in the benefiting states.
Darboe reiterated UNFPA’s commitment to ensuring zero maternal death; zero unmet needs for family planning; and zero gender-based violence in Nigeria, particularly the northern part of the country.
Receiving the PPEs, PPFN’s Regional Coordinator, North West, Mrs. Elizabeth Joe, thanked UNFPA for the gesture aimed at easy access to sexual and reproductive health services in communities.
Joe assured UNFPA that the items would be distributed to 16 health facilities in Kaduna, and 30 each in Sokoto and Kano states.
“We have already trained health workers on COVID-19 response under the partnership as part of our mandate of supporting access to sexual reproductive health and family planning services at the grassroots.
“We are working directly with community members in various communities including hard-to-reach areas, to ensure that no family is denied access to family planning services,” she said.
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