The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has visited some health facilities at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Borno State.
The visit was aimed at ensuring that the health facilities at the camps were functional and that the ad-hoc staff providing the healthcare services were also exhibiting their best.
The Minister also interacted with the displaced persons at the camps and assured them that the Federal Government would continue to provide healthcare services at the camp.
Prof. Adewole, who was accompanied by the WHO Country Director, Alemu Wondi , the Commissioner for Health, Borno State, Dr Haruna Mshelia, the National Coordinator, Health and Nutrition Emergency Response Programme, Dr. Ngozi Azodoh and other top government functionaries visited Teachers Village IDP Camp in Maiduguri where a large number of the displaced persons were receiving care.
The Minister also had a discussion with some of the ad-hoc staff providing psycho-social health services at the IDP camp where he expressed satisfaction with the level of commitment shown by the ad-hoc staff in conducting their assignment.
The Minister had earlier visited the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital where patients with serious psycho-social problems were referred.
The Minister urged the staff of the Psychiatric Hospital to be vigilant and watchful so that they could detect new challenges in different patients especially children.
Speaking with journalists after the visit, the Minister said that the Federal Ministry of Health remains committed to providing necessary healthcare services in the state.
Prof. Adewole said: “Health and Nutrition Emergency Response actually started in February, 2017, I am highly impressed with what we are doing. We have come to review what we have done, access the progress and the impact and tinker with the plan so that we can become perfect”.
Speaking on whether the programme would end within the six months’ period initially designed, the Minister said: “We know that the programme cannot end in six months, the drugs that we brought to Borno would last them for the next two years, we are quite confident that extending it would not be as costly as the initial flag-off, we don’t have to buy new ambulances, we are not buying new delivery trucks, we are not buying new drugs, what we need to do is just to keep the personnels and some money for logistics
The World Health Organisations Country Representative, Dr.Alemu Wondi said that he joined the Hon. Minister for the inspection to get first-hand information on what the 25 teams from the Federal Ministry of Health were doing in Borno State.
Dr Wondi said that WHO also have other teams reaching out to communities that are far from health facilities in Borno State.
The Commissioner for Health, Borno State, Dr. Haruna Mshelia appreciated the commitment of Federal Ministry of Health to the Health and Nutrition Programme, adding that partners like UNICEF, WHO, IMO are also in the state providing support on nutrition.
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