Focus More On Health Reports, Group Urges Journalists
From Ayodele Ajoge, Birnin-Kebbi
An International Non Governmental Donor Organisation (NGO) has called on media practitioners in Kebbi State to focus more on health related issues in their reportage.
This appeal was made early in the week at Yauri town in Kebbi State at a two days media parley organised by the USAID/IHP in conjunction with Kebbi State Government for some selected media practitioners in the State.
Dr. Yusuf Suraj who is the State Technical Director of the Organisation in the State expressed that the State in the past five years have been rated very low in the area of health performance compared to other States in Nigeria.
He, therefore, assured that the Integrated Health Programmes (IHP) of the USAID would build a sustainable health work force standards across the State, by bringing possible health facilities to the people through the Primary Health Care (PHC) in all Local Government Areas to increase assess to health facilities.
In his contribution, Alhaji Shehu Salisu Dabai, a senior MEL Manager explained that a result releases by the USAID/IHP in the first quarter of the year 2023 indicates that the validity baseline increased to 84% thereby indicating 1% increase against the previous years.
He added that before the intervention of USAID/IHP, validity baseline was 47%, which invariably show that the impact of this donor agency shows 37% increase within its five years of operations in Kebbi State health sectors.
This achievement according to him, indicates government commitment towards achieving Universal health coverage through providing an enabling environment for USAID/IHP to operate in the State.