NGO Moves To Improve Health Of Internally Displaced Persons

Participants at a workshop on the sensitization of sexual reproductive health care givers, have emphasized the urgent need for a positive change in the attitude of healthcare workers to achieve effective health care delivery in Rivers State.

The 3-day workshop held in Port Harcourt, recently, tagged, “Gender, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights for Health Care Givers”, was aimed at enhancing essential sexual reproductive health and HIV/AIDS care in Internally Displaced Persons Communities (IDP) in Nigeria.

The workshop identified issues such as lack of health facilities, inadequate facilities in areas where health centres  are available and the need to effectively mobilise and sensitise healthcare givers and right holders in post conflict communities to ensure accessing and delivery of services.

Facilitating the workshop, the Programme Advisor of Action Aid Nigeria, Mrs. Esther Agbon said the project been executed in five states including Plateau, Nasarawa, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa states was to reduce maternal and under five mortality rate in the country.

Mrs. Agbon noted that Nigeria, today, is facing crisis in the areas of sexual reproductive health and HIV/AIDS adding that the country’s sexual and reproductive health profile revealed that women give birth to an average of nearly 6 children. “This has impact on the health and wellbeing of women and children.

“Infant and under five mortality rates in Nigeria, are one of the highest in the world at above 101/133 per 1,000 live births. Nigeria contributes 10 per cent of all the world under five deaths thus ranking second and only about 39 per cent of births are attended to by skilled health personnel, she said.

She said the overall aim of the project is to reduce maternal and under five mortality while mitigating the impact of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS in select post conflict communities in Nigeria.

The project according to her, seeks to achieve this goal by improving access to essential, comprehensive reproductive sexual health rights, HIV/AIDS care services and products to poor, internally displaced and vulnerable individuals and families in post conflict communities in Nigeria.

The programme Manager Youth Faith Renaissance, a non-governmental organization and organizers of the workshop in collaboration with Action Aide. Nigeria and the European Union, Lebura Furubel said, in Rivers State, the project is being executed in post conflict communities in Khana,Emohua and Okrika Local Government Areas.

The workshop which had participants on different specialisaties of the health sector and the media considered issues of gender, sexual reproductive health and rights, patient rights, Youth friendly service delivery in community primary health post conflict and its attendant consequences, among others.

Amieyeofori Ibim