Polio: UNICEF, PHC To Revive 1, 700 Health Committees

The Kaduna State Pri
mary Health Care Agency said it was collaborating with UNICEF to revive 1,700 health committees at ward level to effectively fight poliomyelitis.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Sufyan Babale, stated this at ‘’A One-day Sensitisation and Training Workshop for Traditional Leaders’’ on their roles in polio eradication held in Sabongari, Zaria.
The programme was organised by the agency in collaboration with UNICEF “C” Field Office, Kaduna.
Babale said the revival of the committees became imperative in view of their importance toward the eradication of the disease.
“The essence of the collaboration is to make the committees more effective and functional to adequately eradicate poliomyelitis right from the ward levels.
“The committees will involve communities in all health related activities. There is the need for more concerted efforts by the traditional leaders to achieving the desired goal,” he said.
In a speech, Mr Ufuwai Bonet, Chairman, Kaduna State Task Force on Polio Immunisation, tasked village and ward heads to attend review meetings regularly to enhance the fight to end the disease by the end of the year.
Bonet, who is also the Chief of Kagoro, said some cases of rejection and non compliance reported from communities would easily be tackled at such review meetings.
“This will address minor problems associated with the immunisation by village and ward heads,” Bonet said.
The UNICEF representative, Dr Thomas Albarka, emphasised the need for the establishment of health care facilities where people would be able to access regularly, and not necessarily during immunisation.