COVID-19: UNFPA supports Gombe State with PPEs
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Wednesday donated some Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to boost healthcare serv8ces in Gombe State.
The items would be distributed to 32 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in two local government areas of the state.
Dr Bajowa Lanre, Gombe State Programme Officer, UNFPA, while delivering his remarks during the event at Doma community in Gombe metropolis, said the donation was to assist the fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Lanre said the pandemic had affected sexual reproductive health and family planning reduction.
He added that the pandemic had also reduced efforts in eliminating gender-based violence, and in ensuring zero maternal mortality and harmful traditional practices.
“The pandemic has reduced access to essential services which are particularly life saving, in line with this, the provision of these items will improve access to essential services to reduce maternal mortality in the state,’’ he said.
The UNFPA official said that under ‘One UN Basket Fund Response’ four states of Kano, Gombe, Kaduna and Sokoto were being supported to enhance community sensitisation against COVID-19 to improve health of people in communities.
According to him, the priority is on the high burden LGAs in Gombe state where they had the highest impact and burden of COVID-19 infection.
He added that the UNFPA’s partnership with the Ministry of Health and Primary Healthcare Development Agency would continue in view of the gains of such partnership in the COVID-19 fight.
“The PPEs were life-saving because when COVID-19 came it changed our way of life in all aspects globally and even now it is believed by some persons that COVID-19 never existed
“COVID-19 is real; even in Gombe state; we have had over 2,000 positive cases of COVID-19 patients. It doesn’t exempt anybody even health workers. We have had over 68 who have been infected and two died,’’ he said.
Lanre cautioned that the arrival of the vaccines should not be used as an excuse to flout the COVID-19 protocols, urging the people to always adhere to preventive measures.
The state Commissioner for Health, Mr Habu Dahiru, thanked UNFPA for the donation, noting that the fight against COVID-19 globally is a collective one.
Dahiru, represented by the Director of Diagnostics Services, Mr Ibrahim Hassan, charged residents to continue to observe laid down protocols, adding that the fight against the virus is not over.
Receiving the items for onward distribution to the PHCs, Mrs Bathsheba Kalah, the Programme Coordinator, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), Gombe State, said the items would be a big relief to the centres.
Kalah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that she had received 1,000 pieces of Hypo, 1,000 pieces of liquid hand wash, 1,000 pieces of hand sanitisers and cartons of surgical gloves.
Others include cartons of examination gloves and safety goggles.
She said the items would be distributed to 16 PHCs each in Akko and Gombe LGAs, respectively, adding that those LGAs are having the highest burden of COVID-19 in the state.
Kalah called on healthcare providers in the benefitting PHCs to take caution as “COVID-19 is real and we must recognise that fact and take to preventive measures and use the equipment judiciously’’.
She also appealed to the health workers and other stakeholders to continue creating awareness especially to jettison the perceptions that “COVID-19 is not real or that it is gone’’.
