To strengthen immunization and maternal health services in hard-to-reach communities in Bauchi State, Global Affairs Canada (GAC), in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Monday donated 45 Boxer motorcycles to the Bauchi State Government.
Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of Bauchi Field Office (UNICEF), while presenting the motorcycles to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said the support from Global Affairs Canada targets adolescent reproductive health in Bauchi State, with a focus on hard-to-reach areas.
Dr. Rafique explained that the 45 motorcycles were two per local government area of Bauchi state, with 20 LGAs intended to reach communities where women, children, and adolescents struggle to access health facilities.
“The purpose is to reach the last child,” she emphasized..
The Chief Field Officer noted that UNICEF prioritizes vulnerable populations facing financial and geographic barriers. “If it is not possible for them to reach us, we have to reach them,” she said.
Dr. Rafique, described immunization as the entry point for reaching zero-dose children, pointing out that thousands of children in Bauchi have never been vaccinated. Many adolescent mothers, married at an early age, also lack antenatal care.
She called on stakeholders for a comprehensive approach to reduce maternal and newborn mortality, which she said remains among the highest in West Africa, particularly in the North East.
“We need to increase the age of marriage and ensure those already married get the best services so they can give birth to healthy children and survive,” she said.
Dr. Sani Mohammed Dambam, the State Commissioner of Health and Social Welfare, while receiving the motorcycles, appreciated GAC and UNICEF, for the support, saying healthcare delivery has been a priority for the state government over the past six years.
He assured the two international organizations that the motorcycles received would be delivered to the targeted beneficiaries through the LGA’s to help reduce maternal mortality and improve child and adolescent health, while warning the end users to strictly follow operating guidelines.
UNICEF Health Officer Seyi Olosunde said the intervention coincides with World Immunization Week.
“UNICEF believes immunization is the entry point to delivering integrated primary healthcare services,” he said.
The Health specialist noted that the GAC-funded project, launched eight months ago, focuses on adolescent, maternal and newborn health and under the plan, he said, immunization teams will deploy nurses and community midwives to remote areas.
“This will increase uptake of antenatal care and adolescent health services in communities cut off by distance and financial barriers,” Olosunde said.
“The motorcycles will expand coverage of maternal, newborn and child health services and improve supervision of community-based health workers to ensure quality and effective health care delivery,” he said.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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