Disease control: CSO on health partners A/Ibom
By; Patrick Titus, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of Civil Society Organisation (CSO) on health, Mr. Godwin Udoh said his platform is partnering the state ministry of health to ensure robust participation in immunization participation against pregnant women and children health related diseases in the state.
Speaking at media forum in Uyo, Mr. Udo explained that CSO on health has held two advocacy meetings with stakeholders in the ministry in other to bridge the missing link and mobilize communities during measles campaign in the state.
CSO on health is a non-governmental organization, whose activities are facilitated by civil society in malaria control, immunization and nutrition (ACOMIN). The state coordinator said the organisation serves as a missing link and to support policies, planning and implementation of immunization programmes at the community level.
It carries out advocacy campaigns to ensure that people who would benefit most from immunization were able to access the facilities as well as help to reduce inequalities to access.
Udoh who noted that Akwa Ibom State was among the four states in the country yet to establish state primary healthcare development agency (SPHCDA), advocated the establishment of the agency in order to serve as an acceptable structure to attract international assistance that would help to address immunization, maternal, newborn and child health issues in the state.
According to him, non establishment of SPFCDA has denied the state, the access to health facilities from the international donor organisations such as European Union (EU) and World Health Organisation (WHO).
He added that the agency if established would assist in controlling and monitoring the various health programmes in the state, oversee effective management of available fund and hold the various volunteered organisations participating in health programmes in the state accountable.
Earlier the state secretary of CSO on health, Mr. Edidiong Sambo said the forum was organized to help create demand for grassroots participation in the health programmes and facilities in other to eliminate infants and mobility rates in the state, while it also provided avenue for CSO to present its score cards since inauguration in the state last year.
He noted also that lack of effective community sensitization on the availability of drugs and where to access them, especially malaria drugs which in most cases are given free, made some people to patronize quacks, hence the attending risk of death which could have been avoided.
The state secretary said that ACOMIN in partnership with CSO on health has between November and December 2015, sensitized 12,800 households in 16 local government areas of the state on malaria drugs, access and usage.
