Attah Willie, Gombe
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Gombe State Government and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), have engaged media practitioners in an effort to prevent, control and eventually eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Gombe State.
To this end, the Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF brought together a cross section of journalists, officials of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency and the North East Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Hauwa Abubakar to a media engagement on NTD’s elimination.
The engagement, held at the GOFCECON Hotel Gombe, was designed to deepen collaboration between the media, government partners and health stakeholders in accelerating progress towards NTD’s elimination.
It provided an opportunity for the journalists who interacted with key government officials and health experts to be better enlightened as community level impacts of interventions across the State were highlighted.
Already, Gombe State Government through the PHCDA, had been engaged in activities aimed at addressing NTDs in the State particularly by releasing an annual N25 million counterpart funds which enabled some progress. However, more efforts are needed to close certain existing gaps.
During the meeting, Amen Health Care and Empowerment Foundation noted that since 2015, with the support from the FMHSW, Gombe State Government and various Funders have continued to work towards the prevention, control and elimination of NTDs in Gombe State including Onchocerciasis (river blindness) Lymphatic Filariasis and Schistosomiasis.
Mrs. Maryam Umar, the Programme Manager of Amen Health Care and Empowerment Foundation, said the partnership with the State Government over time has resulted in the release of counterpart funds to support programme activities including hydrocele and hernia surgeries, elephantiasis management, trachoma trichiasis (TT) surgeries, breast/cervical, prostate cancer screening management and entrepreneurship trainings.
Hillary Adie, UNICEF’s consultant in Abuja, listed 20 existing NTDs with seven that are common and explained that poverty and poor access to WASH are some of the causes of NTDs.
He called for behavioural change towards hygiene, environment, social inclusion as well as treatment and care. He highlighted the effects of NTDs on children to include, poor academic and health outcomes, lack of food security, and children serving as guides to the blind.
He stated also that malnutrition occurs because neglected mothers affected by NTDs cannot breastfeed their children, as well as stigmatisation of the affected persons.
Hauwa Abubakar, North East Zonal Coordinator, NTDs, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, called on all stakeholders to put their hands on deck with Governments playing critical leadership roles towards eliminating NTD’s in Gombe State and Nigeria as a whole.
Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF Chief of Field office, Bauchi Field Office, expressed optimism that NTDs are preventable through concerted interventions and commended the progress so far made in Gombe State.
She appealed for increased creation of public awareness by the journalists whom she described as the game changers, stressing that it will be for the benefit of the children in the long run.
