Support us to address child mortality – Stakeholders urges journalists

By Samuel Luka, Bauchi

Media Practitioners have been urged to support the ongoing efforts of the government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to address the menace of child deaths in Nigeria, particularly Northeast.

The Routine Immunization Managers in Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba states made the request while participating in a Panel discussion with journalists at a media dialogue on child mortality held at Crispan Hotel Jos Plateau state on Thursday as Panelists.

Making the request on their behalf, Program Manager Gombe state Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination Centre, Abdulkadir Mohammed Aliyu said, parents, caregivers, health workers and every stakeholder will understand better, if journalists create more public awareness on the issues of child deaths and the various ways of addressing them.

“I think as you can see from the data and what has also been going on in the health sector, there are a lot of things that are being done but are not visibly seen or are not so reported for people to understand that a lot is been invested in the health sector”, Aliyu said.

He pointed out that the citizens need to be more informed about the numerous health programs that are aimed at ending the menace of child deaths in Nigeria.

“Our people need to be more enlightened to understand the role of health care sector in ensuring that people are really healthy. So we want journalists to help us in the awareness creation campaign, especially at the local communities where people are almost attached to their Radios”, the Programme Manager further explained.

He opined that if health programs are constantly aired or publicized, people will get enlightened and embrace them, thereby addressing, neonatal, infant and under five child mortality.

A panelist, Rhoda E. Lodiya, deputy programme manager, Taraba state Emergency Routine Immunization Coordinating Centre commended UNICEF for helping to ensure that vaccines gets to all the hard to reach areas off the state.

She added that all the 16 LGs of the state got adequate supply of vaccines and other health inputs from Gavi in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), including Solar Direct Devices (SDDs) to fight child killer diseases.

“Vaccines and Solar Direct Device have been made available across the 16 LGs of Taraba state. UNICEF also collaborated with the Gavi and provided motorcycles to all the wards of the state for health workers to convey vaccines to the service delivery areas, particularly hard-to-reach ones”, she said.

According to her, stipends are given to the trained health workers courtesy of UNICEF and Gavi to aid their operations, apart from the health workers, including Community Health Workers (CHEWs) engaged to support immunization.

“Gavi in collaboration with UNICEF are doing everything possible to ensure that every child is immunized. They have trained midwives and other health workers on how to ensure successful child delivery in their various health facilities in order to reduce child mortality”, she added.

Corroborating, Health expert with UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Oluseyi Olosunde stated that the
Government of Taraba has decentralized vaccines storage system.

“I remember in one of the states in the Northeast, the Central store was destroyed by fire and all the vaccines were wasted but now in Taraba, they have decentralized the storage to address such a situation”, he said.

According to him, in Taraba state, the vaccines are not stored in the state capital alone, but scattered across Senatorial zones of the state.

“That is an effort that I know is going on, the structures have been completed, all the cold stores in the 16 LGs have been fully renovated. UNICEF in collaboration with Gavi has provided some Solar Direct Devices (SDDs) to help in storing vaccines in remote areas where there are no electricity”, Dr. Olosunde stated.