|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Akanji Alowoludo, Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed on Monday flagged off the distribution of 4.4 million free Insecticide-treated Nets (ITNS) and Seasonal Malaria Chemo- Prevention worth the sum of N7 billion.
The nets are to be distributed to households across the 323 Wards in the state for protection against mosquito bites that cause malaria.
At the event held at the Multi-purpose Indoor Sport hall in Bauchi, the Governor said that in a dedicated efforts to reduce the burden of Malaria, the Bauchi state government partnered with the Federal Ministry of Health through the National Malaria Elimination Program, Against Malaria Foundation(AMF), USAID, President Malaria Initiative (PMI-US) and World Malaria partners to increase access to Insecticide Treated Nets.
He said that aside the distribution of the free Insecticide Treated Nets in the state, the government is also launching the administration of Malaria Prevention drugs for 2.5 million under- Five Children in the state which was made possible through the support of partners in the fight against Malaria.
Bala Mohammed also said that the primary mission of his administration is the safety and well-being of every individual in the state which include life saving Initiatives and enhancing the strength of the health system.
He added that in alignment with this commitment, the state government has activated over 1,000 health facilities in the state as distribution points and deployed over 27,000 Ad-hoc staff for the success of the exercise.
According to him, “Malaria as we all know is a serious threat to life caused by the plasmodium parasite transmitted from person to person via infected female mosquitoes.”
He added that, “The 2018 Demographic Health Survey revealed that Malaria is a primary cause of Maternal and Child deaths in Nigeria.A preventable and curable disease still strains our health system and hinders socio-economic progress, reducing our gross Domestic product by 40 percent annually and imposing an approximate expenditure of N480 billion on our households”
The Governor also said that, “Since this administration came into inception, we have prioritize the health sector, we declared a state of emergency in the sector and have been allocating the above the recommended 15 percent of our total budget to the health sector.We are also dedicated to tackling the deficit in the healthcare manpower and combating major diseases, especially communicable diseases.”
her remarks, USAID Mission Director in Nigeria, Anne Patterson said that the Implementation Partners i.e the Global Supply Chain, Procurement Supply Management and Breakthrough Action Nigeria in collaboration with The Against Malaria Foundation and the Society for Family Health teamed up for the programme.
Represented by Kola Sheniyi, the USAID Mission Director said that, “This is the fourth campaign in Bauchi State: we had one in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2023. The difference between the different campaigns is that this is the first digital mass campaign in Bauchi State.”
According to her “For this campaign, USAID, PMI and The Against Malaria Foundation, have donated a total of 4.4 million nets required to reach over eight million people in the State.”
She further said that, “The Against Malaria Foundation donated 3.3 million of these nets while USAID/PMI donated 1.1 million. All these to the total cost of $10 million or N5 billion. We’ve also spent an implementation cost of about $1.8million or N806 million.”
Also Speaking ,the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Alhaji Ali Babayo said that as part of efforts to ensure the effective distribution of the Insecticide-treated Nets (ITNS) in the state, the Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis,. Leprosy and Malaria(BACATMA) organized series of trainings to build the capacities of the Ad-hoc staff and their supervisors at state and local government levels.
He added that the health sector has made all the necessary arrangements for the successful conduct of the exercise.
Aliyu Babayo also said that the sector will continue to support the present administration in it’s efforts in revitalizing the health sector so that every citizen of the state will continue to access healthcare services with ease.
In his remarks, the State Executive Chairman, BACATMA, Dr Sani Mohammed Danbam, thanked the state government for supporting all the health Programmes of the agency, particularly the flag-off of the ITNS in the state despite of several competing needs of the government and global financial recession.
