Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
The Media engagement for United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Global Alliance For Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) and the Bayelsa State Government on joint interventions for children continued on Wednesday with the tour to Zarama and Yenegwe Primary Health Care Center in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
The monitoring was part of the activities to witness and see the renovated and upgraded health care center facilities across the state.
Speaking during the Day Two tour, Dr. Egbe Abe, UNICEF Health Specialist Portharcourt Field Office, said they have been operating the UNICEF, GAVI.
According to him, what they have done is to support the state government to renovate and upgrade 10 health facilities in the state, adding that the idea is to make healthcare accessible to the people by bringing health infrastructural facilities so that when the people come they can access health cares.
“We want to see how we can bring health care to our mothers, our children and every other person’s in the communities , we want to see our children come for immunization, we want to see our children been delivered in the hospital, that is why the programme has also increase skills in birth attendant rate by training more health extension workers”.
“The idea is to bring bayelsa state government,WHO, SOLINA Consortium, MRITE, Corona Management Services, NPHCDA to what the GAVI MOU has succeeded in doing in bayelsa state that we are speaking with one voice that GAVI programme is to ensure health system friendly”.
“Another thing is that we want to advise the people of the communities to make use of the facilities and own it. Because the more they own the facilities the more they will be able to access the facilities”.
Speaking on behalf of the communities, Rev. Cannon Banigo Samuel, the deputy paramount ruler of Epie Zarama and HRH Peniel Zegbe the paramount ruler of Yenegwe, thanked the team for facelifting the health facilities which was not in this form before, but now renovated and upgraded.
According to them, the facilities have been fenced, painted and expanded, it has been transformed to a better one , “it’s good they have done it and we are very happy .It has increased the number of women and children who come for health care in this facilities , their is a drastic change in numbers”.
Giving the overall view of the exercise, the Executive Secretary of Bayelsa Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Williams Appah said, they have visited all the facilities, including the ones at Otuoke and Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area and another one in Yenagoa Local Government Area in Zarama and Yenegwe communities.
“The facilities have been renovated by GAVI, UNICEF, under GAVI MOU with the Primary Health Care in the state and I must say it was a fantastic activities because from the observation, their have been improvement in all the facilities”.
“And with the new improvement,we will have more women and children accessing health care system in all the facilities, it has also giving functionality , increase of humanity and health care development in bayelsa state”.
“And for the mothers and the caregivers and the people in the communities, the advice is that please use the facilities that been provided by government and upgraded by UNICEF and GAVI and other development partners”.
“The ten renovated and upgraded health care center are scattered across the state, you have them in Angiama in Southern Ijaw local government ,one in Angalabiri and Ogobiri in Sagbama, Egbebiri around Biseni and Akaibiri in Yenagoa local government area , we one in Kaiama in Kolokuma/Opokuma local government and they have been all put to use with solar to provide 24hours lights
“The government has also approved the employment of health care workers in the Primary Health Care services and the approval is for over two thousand person’s , the processes are ongoing”.
Then we must understand that this GAVI HSS MOU has engage GAVI supported workers of over eight hundred that are working. Then the call again is for health care workers to go to work , you are the health security personnel the communities has”.
“Thank you GAVI, UNICEF, WHO, SOLINA Consortium, MRITE, Corona Management Services, NPHCDA and the State team”. ES said
