By Peter Usman :
Federal Capital Territory, FCT Primary Health Care Development Board, PHCDB, is partnering with an NGO, Business and Professional Women, BFW Nigeria, towards increasing vaccination to meet the needs of the people.
The Acting Executive Secretary, FCT PHCDB, Dr. Matthew Ashikeni, who stated this at the African Vaccination Week, in Abuja, said this was part of efforts put in place to meet the African Region target of routine immunization by 2020.
Ashikeni stated that receiving routine immunisation is essential to attaining the highest standard on health, particularly for children, adding that about 2 to 3million children less than five years die each year in the African region.
He asserted that a significant number of these deaths could be prevented by vaccines in the FCT and other parts of the country.
Ashikeni advised that Regional Plan Immunization; 2014-2020 should be translated into national priorities and action as it aims at providing universal access to immunisation and other lifesaving interventions by 2020.
The Acting Executive Secretary further stated that the FCT administration places high priority on the call for revitalisation of the primary healthcare systems in the country.
FACT, he said , has repositioned itself to actualise its development of PHC infrastructure as well as delivery of high impact, result oriented and cost effective programmes targeted at substantially reducing the maternal, newborn and child mortality in the territory.
He said that the FCT is committed and determined to partner with every stakeholders to take immunization to every nooks and crannies of FCT.
Also speaking, the National President, PBW Nigeria, Christ Adejoh, said that the desire to collaborate with the NPHCDB was informed by the pitiable health situation confronting some communities in the FCT.
“It is our desire, particularly the kind of health situation we see around the FCT in some of these communities, we desire to collaborate with the FCT PHCDB and any such entity so that we can together uplift the health standard of people in the FCT particularly since we operate from here,” she stated.
She revealed that the PBW through its capacity building programme, has empowered some women within the FCT to serve as mobilisers for most of the immunization programmes in the city.
“We have built the capacities of most women in the FCT so that they can be mobilisers for most of our immunisation programmes. So, whatever we need to do for immunisation coverage to improve to at least 85 per cent, PPW is ready to work with the FCT,” Adejoh said.
Adejoh explained that the PBW, which is an affiliation of an international federation, existing for the past 86 years with presence all over the world, goes into coalition with other entities with the same idea; to make sure that every woman and by implication, every girl child is given a better life through nurturing, advocacy, economic and social empowerment programmes as well as skill acquisition.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/05/23/news/nigeria-mystery-surrounds-approval-of-n8-billion-nema-contract-as-dg-evades-investigative-hearing/
