United States Agency for International Development-Integrted Health programme (USAID – IHP), Friday, donated hospital equipment worth over N100 million to Ebonyi state.
The items include weighing scale, family planning kits, sterilising pans, implant insertion and removal measuring tapes, and measuring boards for infants, fertail suppler, episiotomy kits,upright newborn mask, neo Natalie among others would be given to 198 facilities in the state.
Speaking during the occasion at the state Ministry of health, Abakaliki, the state Director of USAID-IHP, Gladys Olisaeke, said the agency would emback on Low Dose High frequency training,to reduce mortality and morbidity in the state.
She said, “Ebonyi is one of the Southeastern state that the mortality and morbidity is high of both mother and infant compared to other southern states. When you compare the statistics for women, children, adolescent, it’s not as good as other state, that’s one of the reasons we are concentrating our works here.
“USAID in general, ofcourse we have a lot of USAID funding programmes, six projects in health and as well as one projects in status quo.
We have Integrated health program,we have breakthrough actions Nigeria, PSM and others
“We are focusing on maternal and new born health, reproductive health and family planning, including gender and the third one is child health. The child health comprises of integrated management of childhood illnesses and nutrition.
“The cost of the training models, which is those models that she showed that will be used to train health workers that will provide different services and then we have the cost for the training manuals, we have engaged three local organisations to lead the rollout of these trainings in the health facilities.
“We have engaged the War Chad, they are leading the Low Dose High frequency training for family health and reproductive health, we have Life Helpers initiative, they are leading the Low Dose High frequency of child health,the three component in child health and we have (SOGON) Society for Obstetrics and Gynaecologist in Nigeria, Ebonyi state chapter, they are leading the maternal and newborn Low Dose High frequency training in all those facilities that we mention.
“The total cost of engaging these organizations to get their trainer’s to go to each facilities is over one hundred million naira, times 198 facilitate including the cost of training materials. These equipments will be given to 171 primary health centers(PHC) one facility per ward and 27 Private Health facility across in the 13 LGA”.
Responding on behalf of the state government, Commissioner for Health, Dr Daniel Umezurike, thanked USAID-IHP, noted their programs would impact much in the health system in the state.
“Today, we are seeing huge investment on development health sector, primary health sector, trying to improve on the maternal newborn and child health care. This particular training, Low Dose High frequency training pilot study was conducted here in Ebonyi state, its just a show of love on that partnership.
“And after that, when you do a pilot study and you see it works, so the precise place to implement it is still in Ebonyi state, so that is what is playing out.
“We thank them for their support. I am the highest advocacy for Low Dose High frequency training, because the traditional training where you pull people from facilities to come and assemble in a place for days or weeks is not working very well, though it has its own benefits.
“Each of these facilities will have their names engraved on it. This training will in no small measure lower the mortality and improve child survive in Ebonyi state and that is the mission and vision statement of our dear Governor”, he said.
