By Sani Adamu Hassan
The Bauchi state First Lady Haj A’isha Bala Mohammed has emphasize the commitment of the present administration of Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir toward improving the health care system in the toward.
A’isha Bala Mohammed stated this during the lunching of second round Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week MNCHW 2024 held at the Headquarters of state Primary health care board in Bauchi.
The week long event which was organized by Bauchi State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the State Primary Health Care Board was aimed at providing healthcare interventions to pregnant women,infants, lactating mothers and children under the age of five.
The First Lady also use the medium to call on women to cultivate nutritious foods in their backyards to protect their children and families from malnutrition.
In his remark, the Commissioner of Health Bauchi, Dr Sani Mohammed Dambam highlighted significant progress made by the state as reflected in the latest data from the 2023/2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) with the proportion of children aged 12-23 months who received all basic vaccines at 58%, an improvement over the previous year with 31% in Penta 3 coverage among others.
He therefore commended the Bauchi state Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed for showing strong commitment to addressing health challenges, through prioritizing health as a central pillar of his administration toward improving of healthcare infrastructure and increased budgetary allocation to the sector.
The Commissioner however acknowledged the rise in maternal mortality rate, where he called for delivberate effort towards arresting the disturbing indices.
In his remark, the Executive Chairman Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board Dr Rilwanu Mohammed emphasize the need of ensuring good hygiene among women, which according to him it helps in addressing various diseases in the society.
In her Goodwill message, Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office Dr Nuzhat Rafique noted that the Canadian government, in collaboration with UNICEF, had provided the state with over 4,300 bottles of Vitamin A doses valued at ₦65 million.
Dr Nuzhat noted that, UNICEF extended direct cash assistance of ₦31.6 million to the state government, through the State Primary Health Care Board, to support health interventions for children.