THE World Health Organization (WHO) donated 28 number of motorcycles to the Jigawa state government to enhance disease surveillance and facilitates timely investigation and response to outbreaks where they occur.
Presenting the motorcycle to the state commissioner of Health, Dr. Abba Zakari Umar on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO) Co-ordinator in the state, Dr. Sam Yenyi stated the motorcycles worth sum of N8.4 million is “aimed to boost surveillance, monitoring, and assessment of impact of strategies and activities at reducing disease burden, and tracking of progress towards specified goals.”
Dr Sam has cautioned Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNOS) on the need to intensify their commitments through visits to communities and health facilities, and linking with key community informants.
He explained that “Today, with the support from donors, WHO is pleased to make a donation towards jigawa state government efforts to further enhance surveillance, as surveillance is the core of disease control.”
According to him “In jigawa, indices have indicated that there is a tendency that six million persons especially highly vulnerable populations at risk of acquiring infectious diseases and facing other events of public health importance.”
The distribution of the twenty-eight motorcycles as per the list of their engine and frame numbers corresponding to the alphabetical order of the affected LGA’s are being presented to be issued to the 27 LGA DSNOs and state DSNO.
Earlier in his speech shortly after receiving the donations, the jigawa state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Abba Akari Umar after commending WHO for the gesture, added WHO donations were not restricted to the motorcycles but also supported the state with good supplies of CSM medications and investigation kits in preparation for this year’s probable and or potential epidemic.
Dr Abba highlighted least amongst achievements recorded by the Ministry in areas of disease control to among others provision of a monthly standing order of four hundred thousand naira to the epidemiology unit, (N200,000) for LGA DSNOs supportive surveillance and N200,000 for prompt outbreak responses.
Others include the provision of Toyota Hilux vehicle to the unit for assessing every settlement where an outbreak was reported no matter how difficult or hard to reach is the settlement, among others.
He called on the beneficiaries of the 28 motorcycles to use them judiciously, and handle them with care for the purpose intended warning that these facilities were donated strictly for the use of PHC managers activities to support their output in surveillance and outbreak responses, assuring state government will support them with fuel and services maintenance cost for improved service delivery.
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