The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, has charged the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other development partners to adopt proper data collection strategies to enable them intervene in relevant areas.
According to the governor, right decisions and interventions can only take place when reliable data are collected and properly analyzed
The governor was speaking when he received in his office the UNICEF advocacy delegation led by the UNICEF Nigeria Chief of Field Services, Miss Judith Leivellee.
He requested the agencies to deploy manpower to all the primary health care facilities in Ebonyi State to collect reliable data that will help to improve maternal and child health.
Gov. Nwifuru also gave a nod to UNICEF’S calls for immediate end to all forms of open defecation; poor immunization leading to poliomyelitis; malnutrition; inadequate breastfeeding and cholera in the state.
This was contained in a statement issued on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor and made available to journalists in Abakaliki.
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He acknowledged the negative implications of poor and erratic immunization, insisting concrete action towards ending it must be taken.
“I want the local government chairmen here to take immunization seriously”, the governor ordered.
“We will do everything within our reach to construct toilets in the markets, schools and other public places”.
In her remarks, Miss Judith Leveillee, informed the governor that a total of “2.5 million latrines to end open defecation leading to cholera” is being proposed by UNICEF
She appealed for accelerated state action to guard against reoccurrence of cholera.
“This disease has killed over 200,000 people, and we can end it now”.
The UNICEF’S team lead said over the years, the organization has always stood in the gap for “children who are malnourished, children who are poor, children who are from poor families”, and collaboratively working to ensure their health is not mortgaged.
“In less than three years UNICEF has contributed over 1m dollars across various agencies.
“We have signed partnership with ALGON, identity commission” to drive home the vision. This is because we want to give identity to the children.
“In the healthcare, all things needed to be done to strengthen healthcare has been put in place”, she further explained.
Ms Leveillee praised the governor’s bold reforms in the health sector, even as he commended the governor’s timely release of counterpart funding.
