Pregnant Women To Enjoy Mobile Health Service

Fune Local Government Council in Yobe has introduced mobile health services to citizens in its remote areas, especially children and pregnant women.

Under the initiative, health facilities and personnel are ferried across to the areas by means of motorcycles because of their difficult terrains.

Coordinator of Primary Healthcare in the council, Alhaji Shuaibu Shaban has said that 52 motorcycles had been mobilised for the operation.

He said that the exercise was being carried out in partnership with UNICEF, to ensure that women and children in the area had unfettered access to healthcare services.

“UNICEF provided for 10 medical personnel for the fixed health posts in the local government area and the council engaged 16 others to carter for the mobile facilities introduced.

“The programme provides free healthcare services to pregnant women and children; so we will take the advantage of it to reach as many communities as possible”, he said.

A resident of Dogon Kuka Village in the area, Umar Jalo said that the mobile clinics had visited the village and provided free drugs to women and children.

“I allowed my wife and children to attend the programme and they were given some tablets and enlightened on some basic hygiene issues”, he said.

A pregnant woman, Hauwa Jibrin, commended the council for introducing the facility, saying it had saved pregnant mothers in the village the hassles of travelling to Ngelzarma Health Center for medical attention.

A resident of Gaba Tasha village, Ahmadu Bakoro, noted that the facility would reduce the reluctance of husbands to allow their wives to visit health centres, either due to poverty or outright ignorance.

The Chairman of the council, Alhaji Maina Digima said that all the 13 councillors in the area had been deployed back to their wards to mobilise people, especially women, to patronise the health centres.

“We also engaged traditional and religious leaders to sensitise their people on the importance of the programme and its impact on the lives of pregnant women and children”, he said.

The chairman disclosed that the council had also bought three deep freezers for the storage of the drugs, so as to maintain their efficacy.

Digima explained that the council deliberately introduced the mobile facility to boost health delivery in the local government area.

“In view of the long distances, the attitude and low level of education among the people, we have thought it appropriate to bring health services to their doorsteps.”