Posted on: Sun 30-08-2020

Alhaji Aminu Hassan Jauro ,the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (TSPHCDA), says the quantum of supports received from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) by the Taraba state government, have tremendously assist in reducing both maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the state.

Jauro  who stated  this on  while playing host to the Chief of Field, Bauchi UNICEF Field Office Mr. Bhanu Pathak who was on a monitoring and evaluation visit to the state, said the international organization had in the last three years spent over N308 million on equipments, technical support and capacity building in the state 

According to him "Taraba Primary Health Care Development Agency in line with  the mandate of providing integrated primary healthcare service delivery has benefited through UNICEF support in the  areas  of cash,  technical support and capacity building to tune of over N308 million in the last three years." 

Conducting the UNICEF boss round some of the projects put in place by the agency with supports from the UNICEF, 

Aminu stressed that the donor agencies had tremendously improved healthcare services in the rural areas of the state particularly the Nigeria State Health Investment Project (NSHIP),  adding that the Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative (GAVI) and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund are as well  expected to commence in the state soon.

The agency , he said has as well secured and installed about 180 Solar Direct Drive Refrigerators to enhance the preservation of vaccines in the entire sixteen Local Government Councils  of the State. 

 The Executive Secretary who said about 118 of the items have been received and installed and that about 80 more were being expected , said the project is being funded by a grant from the Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative (GAVI), stating that the intervention has tremendously improved service delivery especially in the immunisation activities in rural areas. 
 

Earlier, the UNICEF boss  (Bhanu Pathak) said  his visit to the state was to monitor and evaluate activities in their  various interventions in Taraba, stating that the " visit is the resumption of our regular monitoring visits which,  because of COVID-19 was not undertaken in the past five months.

" It is to update our technical capacity issues,  and also to look at the situation in the field,   for  example we visited one of the primary healthcare centres to observe antenatal care, immunization services and other services being delivered even during this difficult time."

UNICEF,  according to him is "actually very happy with the work being done by the Taraba Primary Health Care Development Agency and all the primary health care facilities."

By Charles Akpeji 

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