School Deworming: Body Tasks RSG On Funding

The Programme Manager of Evidence Action (EA), South-South, a non-governmental organisation working on children’s health and development, Joseph Kumbur, has called on the Rivers State Government to increase funding on mass deworming exercise in the state.
Kumbur, who stated this recently while fielding questions from journalists in Port Harcourt, said if the State Ministry of Health can leverage resources from the government, it will go a long way to increase school-based deworming exercise in the state.
He recalled that Evidence Action in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) recently dewormed about 1.4 million children of school age in Rivers State.
According to him, “deworming is a control programme, and the overall intention is to sustain it. There is therefore need for the government to increase funding to the state ministry of Health so that the deworming programme can run even without the involvement of partners.
“The target of about 1.4 million children took place in 17 LGAs, namely: Abua/Odual, Ahoada West, Asari-Toru, Akuku-Toru, Degema, Etche, Ogu/Bolo, Obio/Akpor, Okirika.
Others are Omuma, Emohua, Tai, Khana, Gokana, Opobo/Nkoro, Ogba/Egbema and Eleme.
On her part, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Mrs Caroline Wali, stated that the exercise actually started in 2014 in collaboration with the federal ministry of health, WHO, and Children Investment fund Foundation (CIFF).
“The journey to this day began in 2014, when the FMOH in collaboration with WHO and support from CIFF concluded the survey in the state to ascertain the endemicity status of Soil Transmitted Helminthes (STH).
“The result from the survey indicated that 12 out of 23 LGAs of the state had prevalence of 20% and above, which is the minimum threshold, thus meeting the ministry of health criteria for mass deworming of school age children.
“As follow-up to the actualization of the state qualifying for mass dewormning of school age children, E.A, a non-governmental development organization, wrote to the state government in 2017, through the SMOH, indicating their intention to partner with the state to actualize this”, she said.
The Permanent Secretary used the opportunity, to assure that the state government will continue to do “the needful to ensure that this exercise is carried out in the state”.
This is because, she continued, “deworming of school children leads to the control of anaemia, amongst other illness improves concentration and capacity to learn, improves nutritional intake of children, as well as their immunity”.

Sogbeba Dokubo