By Sani Adamu Hassan
Janna Health Foundation In collaboration with SUFABEL Community Development Initiative has advocated for the involvement of various stakeholders with the community in Pandemic Preparedness and response in Bauchi state.
The Project Coordinator of Pandemic Preparedness and response COPPER CE Mr Paul Balogun which is under the Janna Health Foundation made the appeal during his advocacy visit to the Director Public Health, Bauchi state, Network of People living with HIV/AIDs in Nigeria NEPWHAN and the Zonal Coordinator TB Network.
Mr Paul Balogun reveal that engaging the stakeholder will help in terms of dissemination of accurate information to their various communities, which according to him will help in reducing the spread of outbreaks in the state.
He also appeal to the state Ministry of Health to work in collaboration with AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria Partners (ATMs) in pandemic Preparedness by engaging them in their coodinate platform which will help in informing the community with accurate information in terms of disease outbreaks in their communities.
“We have come with an advocacy through Janna Health Foundation to bring those communities on board in order to have accurate and timely information with regard to disease outbreak in the community, so that they will be able to prevent, protect or control disease outbreaks within their various target communities like Lassa Fever now in some states within the North East” Mr Paul added.
“If information is coming from these three communities – TB Network, ACOMIN and NEPWHAN with regards to any disease, their people will definitely respond and act towards it.
The COPPER CE Coordinator therefore pledges to work with the state ministry of health, TB Network, Network of People Living with HIV/AIDs In Nigeria NEPWHAN, Civil Society Organizations on Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition ACOMIN in the next pandemic Preparedness.
“We target traditional and religious leaders, because people of different faiths are submissive to them. So, if accurate information is coming through the religious and traditional leaders on their different platforms, this will actually necessitate the next pandemic preparedness and response”.
In his response, the Director Public Health in the Ministry of Health Bauchi Alh Abdullahi Dan Asabe commended the Janna Health Foundation and SUFABEL Community Development Initiative in their effort to creating awareness, promise to engage more CSOs in information dissemination in terms of Pandemic preparedness.
“I encourage you to attend our EOC meeting on every Thursday. That’s where you will get all the updates, what’s happening in terms of disease within your areas”, the Director said.
Dan Asabe therefore promised to continue working with various stakeholders in terms of advocacy and creating awareness to the grassroot level.
During the advocacy visit, the Zonal Coordinator of TB Network Adamu Chindo Sodangi and the Coordinator Network of People Living with HIV/AIDs NEPWHAN Bauchi state Abdullahi Ibrahim emphasize the need for their involvement in pandemic Preparedness and response with a view to ensuring accurate information dissemination to their communities.
