From Maawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has joined forces with the Federal Government, GAVI, and eight Nigerian states to reduce child morbidity and mortality.
The states involved in this three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) are Bayelsa, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Taraba, and Zamfara.
The Field Officer of UNICEF in charge of the Kano zone, Mr. Rahama Mahammed Farah, made this announcement during the commissioning of a Coordinating Center for Routine Immunization and the donation of 168 motorcycles to the Katsina state government.
Farah noted that the MoU aims to strengthen the Routine Immunization Primary Health Care system.
In Katsina state, the intervention of UNICEF and GAVI is expected to significantly reduce the number of unimmunized children in eight Zero local government areas, including Batagarawa, Baure, Funtua, Kankara, Katsina, Mani, Rimi, and Safana.
Farah urged the Katsina state government to implement the “primary health care under one roof” policy, emphasizing that this would strengthen primary healthcare services, especially at the grassroots level.
Earlier, Katsina state Governor Dikko Umar Radda commended UNICEF and GAVI for their contributions to addressing the challenges facing the state.
Radda said the state government has invested N3.7 billion to boost the health sector and that the donation of motorcycles by UNICEF will improve immunization coverage in the state.
