By Ibrahim Ibrahim
The Emir of Dutse in Jigawa state Dr. Nuhu Muhammadu Sanusi said communities engagement is a key in implementation of the National Integrated pneumonia control Strategies plan in Nigeria.
The Emir stated this at a stakeholders consultative meetings on the implementation of the plan in Jigawa state organized by the save the children International held at Manpower Development Institute, Dutse.
The Federal Government had lunched the strategy on the 27th January, 2020 to reduce the higher level of under five children mortality in the country caused by the Pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a leading infectious killer of children under five accounting over 94,000 death per year, or 258 children every day in Nigeria.
Under the policy the Federal Government has targeted 10 states with highest Pneumonia burden to domesticated the strategy by the year 2025 in an effort to achieved the SDGs target of less than 3 death per 1000 birth.
Represented by the District Head of Aujara Malam Aminu Danmalam explained that based on the strategy 62% of the child death are at home while only 38% are from health facilities.
He explained that, this therefore showed that communities involvement and awareness is a key and Paramount in delivery and drive on the strategy to succeed in Jigawa state.
“You need to involve and mobilize the communities, let them know the plan, benefits and impact that will drive the process towards successes”
He said Traditional leaders in Jigawa state have identified about 11,000 communities volunteers known as(Jakadun Lafiya) that will help in identifying cases of Pneumonia and other children killer diseases and push them to facilities to access services.
He added that the attitudes of health workers in the state also need to be strengthen for effective service delivery.
“Health workers are trying despite the huge gap in the human resources which is a Global problem”
The vision of the strategy is to reduce newborn and child mobility and mortality due to pneumonia, aligned with and supportive of the integrated health goals of the Federal Government.
