…over 1, 500 health workers recruited in 3 years

According to the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria, Christian Munduate, the 2024 Situational Analysis of Children and Adolescents in Nigeria, a joint publication by the Federal Government and UNICEF, should bring our collective commitment to change a stark reality. In this report, DANIEL ATORI writes on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Niger State Government, UNICEF and GAVI

In Nigeria, over five million children are moderately malnourished, over 1.5 million severely malnourished and over six million stunted, wasted, or underweight: also, 67.5 per cent of children in the country live in multi-dimensional poverty, deprived of essentials such as education, healthcare, and nutrition.

It should be noted that in 2021, UNICEF Nigeria proposed a more engaging financial management institutional capacity strengthening approach in the primary healthcare development agencies of eight states, comprising: Bayelsa, Gombe, Niger, Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Taraba under the Gavi-funded Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) programme.

Performance

With the MoU, the state recorded an increase in antenatal care (ANC) uptake by 35 per cent, enrolled 355,804 women in 2024 compared to the 232,495 for the same period in 2022.

Also, 2,857 women have deliveries conducted by skilled birth attendants in 2024, as against 36,251 in 2022, as well as achieved a five per cent increase in fully immunised children from 23.5 per cent in 2018 to 28.3 per cent in 2024.

The Health Systems Strengthening Programme by UNICEF is making notable progress in enhancing primary health care across Niger State, together with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the primary health care MoU initiative is improving routine immunisation services; ensuring better health outcomes for mothers and children in the state.

Three years later the Niger State Government, in collaboration with the Global Alliance Initiative (GAVI) and UNICEF, celebrated the close-out of their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at strengthening the state’s primary healthcare system.

It should be recalled that the MoU was signed in February 2022 with seed money of $6 million received from partners.

The Niger State Governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, recently expressed gratitude to partners especially UNICEF and GAVI for supporting the state’s primary healthcare initiative, matched with an additional $1 million dollars by the state government.

Achievements

According to Bago: “The partnership has achieved significant milestones, including the recruitment of 1,500 new health staff, retention of 400 health staff, and procurement of medical equipment, providing access to quality health services for vulnerable populations.

“As a government, we plan to deploy tele-medicine facilities across all primary healthcare centres, provide internet services, and build doctors’ accommodations to house medical personnel within the facilities.”

He assured that the state would continue with child birth registration, leveraging on the Niger State Health Insurance Scheme, which aims to register over 250,000 Nigerlites, adding that:

“In the next six months, the state plans to launch a drone vaccine delivery project to reach hard-to-reach areas, leveraging technology to bridge the gap.”

Bago had played host to the UNICEF team in Abuja (Niger Governor’s Lodge) where he explained that his administration has recorded land mark successes in the close out programme of the Niger State, UNICEF and GAVI Foundation supported primary health care across the state, promising that effort is geared towards sustaining the achievements of the partners.

He had maintained that so far, necessary modalities have been put in place to launch digital medicine in the next six months in a way of dispensing medicine with drones to less privileged people living in riverine communities as well as other places that are caught off from civilization.

He enumerated the numerous achievements of UNICEF and GAVI Foundation during the period under review to include, reduction of under 0-5 mortality from 98/1000 cases to 49/1000 in 2018, reduction in mortality rate from 57/1000 to 3/1000 live births, reduce neonatal/mortality from 29/1000 to 22/1000 among others.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare in the state, Dr Ibrahim Dangana, disclosed that the programme had made tremendous progress in reducing maternal and infant mortalities in the state, adding that: “We have cleared our zero-dose children, who had never been immunised before, from 7,094 to zero.”

Dangana said the close-out does not mark the end of the MOU, saying that the governor has assured of his commitment to sustaining the gains made and ensuring Niger has a viable primary healthcare system.

According to him: “We have worked with number of partners including, the State Contributory Insurance Scheme, Ministry of Secondary and Tertiary Health, Niger State Water and Sanitation Agency, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Ministry of Local Government Affairs and many others, but the signing of the MoU was one of the most significant partnership the state has witnessed.

“With the MoU we have been able to reach more children with life-saving essential vaccine for immunisation, at the start of the MOU, the state had more than 7,000 children that had never received a single dose of immunisation, and at the close of the MoU, and we have been able to reach out to every single out of the children.

“More women are visiting facilities to have safe deliveries in the hands of skilled birth attendants, and the government has also closed some gaps in the health care system with 396 nurses and midwives that have continued to provide essential services to ensure that women do not die in the primary health care centres.”

UNICEF commends traditional, religious institution

Chief of Health, UNICEF, Dr Shyam Pathak, while acknowledging the governor’s achievements, commended the contributions of traditional and religious institutions towards strengthening the primary healthcare system.

Applause for state govt

Also, Chief of Child Protection, UNICEF, Dr Ibrahim Sesay, commended the Niger State Government for its commitment to birth registration, with over 400,000 children registered in 2024, exceeding the 100 per cent target.

Sesay announced that UNICEF would integrate services to issue national identification numbers to registered children, enabling the tracking Applause for state govt.

Speaking on behalf of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the state, Mr Olasukanmi Kalejaiye commended the government’s tireless efforts in promoting quality healthcare and improving the well-being of communities.

According to him: “As civil society organisations, we share your passion for creating a healthier and more just society.

We believe that our collective efforts can lead to transformative change and improve the health outcomes for all.

We also thank the UNICEF and GAVI team for investing in Niger State and also to the Ministry of PHC, we want to appreciate you for maximising the opportunities given to transform our PHCs.”

Furthermore, Kalejaiye urged Bago to partner with the Federal Government to see how Niger State can be made to benefit from the Sugar Sweetened Beverages Tax (SSBtax) to support healthcare delivery in order for the state government to achieve the health sector of its dreams.

Goodwill messages were also delivered by NiCare Executive Secretary, Civil Society Organisations, Health Care Worker, the beneficiaries, religious leaders and community leaders.

Highlight of the event was the symbolic presentation of a UNICEF award to Bago for his contributions to the health sector.

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How UNICEF, GAVI Reshaped Primary Healthcare In Niger State