Media key to achieving universal health coverage — UNICEF

Chief of Field, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique has stressed that Media and its practitioners have very important roles to play in driving access to effective and efficient healthcare service delivery within the communities.

Nuzhat Rafique made the assertion while fielding questions from Journalists during a 2-day Media Dialogue in Gombe.

“So that is that is why this is a very, very important program and media role Is very critical in achieving the objectives.

“And I always believe that journalists and media, they can play a very strong role in highlighting the positive stories that come out of the behavior change of communities accepting these services.

“Coming to the facilities, because if they will come to the facilities, that will improve the utilisation of services and quality of services and it will improve the access and overall system will be strengthened because without communities and utilization, the objectives will not be achieved. There is no use of health system.

“So, health system is for people and people need to come to use these services and you people are the backbone of the whole society because you can spread this message. You can create an awareness among communities about these services and their importance.”

Nuzhat Rafique added, “You can advocate how important it is for every child to be immunized, how important it is for every pregnant woman to be delivered at the facility with skilled birth attendants. And this is the main thing that can save our children and mothers. So that is why this media engagement was very, very important. Now at this meeting you have known about the project. Now, you know what we have been doing.”

On the GAVI – UNICEF project, the UNICEF CFO stated, “I think it’s a long journey. We have started with the first 2, 3 years completed and with GAVI support, UNICEF and State Partners commitment. We have initiated our journey on the right path, these results show that we are on the right track.”

“It is very important to keep monitoring that what we have achieved like, for example, in Gombe and Taraba, both fully immunized children. The number has gone up up to 79% and 80% from a lower very less than 50%. It has gone high.

“Similarly, the skilled birth attendants, through Mama2Mama group that we have seen today, that it has improved zero dose children, who had never received any vaccinations, they have been reached. So, we are on the right track, but it is very important that the Government Commitment, the state Partners commitment is continuous like that and UNICEF is always working for mother and children,” she stressed.

“So, we are always there to support these projects and programmes technically and whatever we can do through our advocacy, through you people, making you aware  and then communities aware. So these are all efforts to keep us on track and keep on providing these services and strengthening our systems.”

According to her, “once, the primary healthcare system is strong enough that everyone can reach it and get the required Services because it’s their right, It’s the right of every child. It’s the right of every woman to have these services. So once the system is in place, then it can work a long way and it can keep on reducing the mortality and morbidity in these. Yeah, sickness will go and the health will come up. So, for this to be in place for it, is another for accessibility.”

On the challenges of the project, Nuzhat Rafique said, “I think as we all discussed, many things, there are multifaceted. There are many barriers to health system, not only in Nigeria and these states, but in all other countries as well,  which are developing and facing challenges. For example, when we do health system analysis, even starting from the human resource availability.”

“As you see, in this project, we have recruited 440 PHC workers which is a big increment to the health workforce availability. And we have also, like, made them trained. Skilled created more awareness in the community based workers. So, the human resource and their attitude, that needs to be improved that can be one of the challenges,” she stressed.

“Similarly, Financial barriers. If they don’t have the money for which to use, you can see that the social insurance schemes, it might help people to come to the facilities. Similarly, at the facility, what type of services we are providing, what is the quality of services? What is the environment at the facility? They can all be barrier to access to Services.

“It is not reaching the facility physically, the patient reaching the facility. But it is the whole package that is what are the social norms, which is very, very important for initial utilization. Why a woman comes for anti-natal care, first of all. So that is very important that we create an awareness, what are the positive social norms we should highlight to them.

“And if there are any negative social norms, we should try to address them and make people aware that how they can compromise their health and life, of their women and children. So that is basically how we can address this problem.

“These as well, this is ongoing to strengthen the Primary Health Care system in these 2 States. And overall, the federal government,  started this initiative and they selected some states in the country and Gombe and Taraba, fortunately, they have been part of it under the UNICEF Field Office of Bauchi.

“So,  we are very fortunate, to see that this project has been implemented in very good collaboration and under the governance and leadership of the state departments both in Combe and Taraba. And, it is it is looking at the leadership of the state Partners and governance.”

Nuzhat Rafique expressed satisfaction with the strategic planning and collaboration among the stakeholders.

“Every child. So, overall, health system is being strengthened and we are trying to reach to even last child who has never been touched by the health system. For example, never been humanized. So these children and mothers who have never received any Services. The purpose of strengthening this Primary Healthcare System is to reach those unreached families children and mothers,” she concluded.