Buhari Hails 2018 DHS Survey Report

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday lauded the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) carried out by National Population Commission (NPC), saying “the study is comprehensive for formulation of national policies.”
The President made this known at the official launch of 2018 NDHS in Abuja on Tuesday.
Represented by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, Buhari said that the report of the survey was an improvement over previous surveys conducted in the country, adding that it was necessary for advancement of the country’s wellbeing.
According to him, the survey is conducted every five years.
Our correspondent reports that the 2018 NDHS is the sixth of its kind to be conducted in the country since 1990, designed to provide data for monitoring the population and health situations in the nation.
It was conducted by NPC in collaboration with National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) of Federal Ministry of Health, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Global Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNFPA and WHO.
The survey, which fieldwork commenced on Aug. 15 till Dec. 23, 2018, is also to provide up-to-date demographic and health indicators for Nigeria, its geographical zones and individual states.
The survey collected information on fertility awareness and use of family planning methods, nutritional status of women and children, maternal and child health, adult and childhood mortality, women empowerment, female genital cutting, among others.
Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, the acting Chairman of NPC, explained that “a total of 41,821 women between 15 and 49 years and
13,311 men between 15 and 59 years were interviewed in 40,425 households, representing a response rate of 99 per cent of women and 99 per cent of men.”
The NPC boss said that two per cent of women and two per cent of men aged 15 years and above had difficulty or could not function in at least one domain of disability such as seeing, hearing, remembering.
Salu-Hundeyin noted that nine per cent of women and 10 per cent of men had some difficulty in at least one domain.