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NGO Increases COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake In Kogi By 23.2%

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By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja

A Non-Governmental organization in Kogi State, Central Nigeria, Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI) in Partnership with Centre for Information Technology Development (CITAD) has indicated that its COVID-19 Uptake project has increased COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the state from 125,833 in 2021 to 646,623 in November, 2022 when the project wound down in the state.

Presenting the progress report on the COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake project titled Enhancing Demand Creation and Uptake of COVID-19 vaccine project in Kogi state, at a news conference in Lokoja on Tuesday, Executive Director of CPI Ms Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, indicated that inspite of the progress recorded in COVID-19 vaccination, the coverage rate in the state is still low compared to the national average of 65%.

He added that, “from the national result, Kogi state status of 23.2% vaccinated eligible population is too low to the national average of 65%, hence kogi state has a lot to do to measure up.”

According to Ms Agbogun,
Data from the Kogi State Primary Health Care and Development Agency (KSPHCDA) revealed that the total number of people vaccinated as of November 2021 was 125,833. At the time, the vaccines available in Kogi State were AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines.

She said CPI and CITAD joined forces, with financial support from MacArthur Foundation, to increase the Covid-19 vaccine uptake across Kogi State.

“To gain citizens’ trust in the vaccines, CPI collaborated with Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCSDA), civil society partners, religious organisations, traditional rulers and media houses to debunk false information and misconceptions about Covid-19 and its vaccines. The project also provided capacity building for stakeholders on emerging issues related to Covid-19 vaccines and relevant topics to ensure accurate information is disseminated to the target audience.

According to Ms Agbogun, the project had two main objectives which included enhancing awareness on the efficacy of the Covid -19 vaccines and mobilise target communities to increase demand and uptake of the vaccines.
The other objectives is to
build the capacity of Stakeholders on emerging issues in the fight against Covid-19 with a view to promoting the uptake of COVID-19 Vaccines.

“To ensure prompt and efficient access to vaccines in Kogi State, the project worked to comprehend and proffer solutions to the challenge affecting the demand for Covid-19 vaccine interventions, thereby enabling opportunities for rapid action to ensure prompt and effective Covid-19 immunisation in Kogi State.
The project offered opportunities for quick measures by gathering in-depth knowledge of the population dynamics of eligible persons in Kogi State, which led to effective results and an advanced understanding of factors impeding the demand and uptake of vaccines in the state.

This endeavour has promoted demand for the Covid-19 vaccine among the eligible population that were yet to be vaccinated so that they can get vaccinated at safe and convenient locations.
The project used a blend of creative communication, digital media, traditional advertising, and public relations to inform people about the benefits of Covid-19 vaccines through a continuous campaign from November 2021 to December 2022,” Agbogun added.

She said CPI paid 25 advocacy visits to relevant stakeholders such as traditional rulers, civil society organisations, Media, religious bodies, trade unions, and government ministries, departments and agencies, the WHO, UNICEF among others in the course of implementing activities of the project:

“We were crossed with strange beliefs, misinformation and adamant positions which were frantically tackled through the social and behavioral change initiatives of CPI/CITAD intervention project as
individuals had held Strange Beliefs before this intervention, while individuals adherence to their strong and strict beliefs that Covid-19 was a punishment released for the ill-doings of our leaders and hence has no effect on the common man who was going about his legitimate activity, hence, the vaccination had nothing to do with them.

They also shared the belief that the masses are only bearing the pains of their wickedness and vaccines have been developed to introduce the virus to the innocent.”

The CPI/CITAD project coordinator, however, outlined the challenges to COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the state to include communal clashes in Bassa and Omala local government, floods, difficult terrains, lack of payment to health workers among others, and called on the state government and local governments to increase funding for COVID vaccination and sustain media campaign on COVID-19 vaccination in the state to scale up coverage since the state is yet to attain coverage for fully Vaccinated as against the total vaccinated, which is 56.3% with 41.6% partially vaccinated and 2.1% booster dose.

From a total population of 5,261,009, the desired target population (eligible population) in Kogi is 2,788,335 (53%). The total number of people vaccinated when the project commenced was 125,833 and by the end of November 2022, the figure has increased to 646,623.

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World kidney Day: Foundation off-sets medical bills of kidney patients in Niger

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As part of the activities to mark this year’s world kidney day, Nathaniel Kidney Foundation (NKF) in Niger State has off-set the medical bills of a number of kidney patients at the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB)) Specialist Hospital in Minna, the Niger State capital.
The kidney foundation which was established in 2022 by the family of late Nathaniel Matthew, a 24 year old kidney patient who lost the battle to the disease in 2021 has since its establishment reached out to over 50 kidney patients across the state in the area of offsetting their medical bills.
In addition to settling the medical bills of kidney patients, the foundation has used every world kidney day to embark on an enlightenment campaign and sensitization on radio and television against the kidney disease on the causes and possible prevention of the disease.
The Chairman of the foundation, Mr. Gideon Makeri while speaking to newsmen in Minna, shortly after a sensitization walk and a visit to the patients at the IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna, said the foundation was established by the parents of late Nathaniel Matthew to remember the promising young man whose life was cut short due to kidney infection.
This year’s world kidney day which he said coincided with the birthday of the late Nathaniel, was used to reach out to the kidney patients through off-setting their medical bills, stressing that the foundation since inception two years ago, has supported kidney patients in the area of treatment both home and abroad.
According to him, “over 50 kidney patients have so far benefitted from the foundation. The beneficiaries include those that the foundation has supported in the area of treatment at home and abroad and they are today healed of the diseases and are doing well”.
He disclosed that among the beneficiaries this year was a 300 level student of the Ibrahim Babangida University (IBBU) Lapai who is currently placed on dialyses at the hospital, adding that seven kidney patients have their hospital bills settled as part of the activities to mark this year’s world kidney in the state.
While appealing to individuals and organizations to partner with the foundation towards assisting kidney patients in the state, Mr. Makeri decried the rising cost of treatment for kidney disease in the country, adding that to undergo dialyses now, a patient need N30,000 and such patients might be required to undergo the session three times in a week.
“In advanced countries, the government pays for dialyses for the people but in Nigeria the reverse is the case, and because of this, some people stayed back at home and resigned their faith to God. That is why we are appealing to individuals and organizations to come and partner with the foundation to save lives”.
The Chief Medical Director of IBB Specialist Hospital, Dr. Bala Waziri commended the family of the late Nathaniel for sustaining the foundation since it was launched two years ago, saying that the foundation has made a remarkable contributions to lives of kidney patients in the state, and urged them sustain the momentum.
According to him, a lot of people living with the disease in the state and the country in general are going through very difficult times, especially with high cost of the treatment of the disease, pointing out that “the price of drugs and dialyses equipment have gone up beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerian. A lot of patients no longer afford the cost of the treatment.
“Some patients undergo dialyses three times in a week with each costing N30,000. This is aside the normal kidney drugs which the price has equally gone up for more than 100 percent”.
He described the condition of kidney patients in the hospital as very pathetic and therefore appealed to individuals and organizations to come to the aids of those suffering from the disease.

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Media professionals move to curb apathy towards HVP vaccination

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From Daniel Abel Lafia

Media professionals under the auspices of Sustainable Media Advocacy Foundation (SMAF), on Wednesday promised to intensify media campaigns against the negative public perception of Vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus among young girls between the ages of 9 and 14 years in the state through intensive campaigns.

The foundation Chairman, Mr. Kalu Idika made this known at its advocacy meeting organized to review its activities in Lafia.

According to the SMAF Chairman, the objective of the organization is to promote media engagement for sustainable development.

“We are available to partner with any group to create every necessary awareness for people at the grassroots level.

“We are registered professionals ready to partner with any interested organization to sensitize, promote, and reach out to the nooks and crannies of the state in any field of endeavor.

The chairman, however, recalled that the foundation had undergone several trainings and have also engaged in sensitization in the area of safe sex among adolescence, maternal mortality in partnership with local and international Non Governmental Organizations, (NGOs).

Mr. Kalu noted that the foundation is currently partnering with the National Primary Health Development Agency, (NAPHDA), to ensure girls between ages 6-14 receive vaccination against the Human Papilloma Virus, HPV launched by Governor Abdullahi Sule.

Kalu, however, stated that the Foundation has undertaken many activities in the past as well adding that they enjoyed technical support from International organizations and Nasarawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NAPHDA),

Mr. Ishaya Amegwa, who represented the state’s health educator, commended the foundation in ensuring adequate awareness against the myth and misconceptions about the vaccine.

With the help of the media engagement, more people are coming out even as parents are bringing their girls within the age bracket to receive the vaccine.

‘The media came to our assistance and created the necessary awareness that we needed at that time to encourage the young girls to avail themselves for the vaccination.

In a remark, the Research Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support Lead of The Challenge Initiative, Taco, Oluwafemi Timothy Rotimi, commended SMAF for the collaboration commencement and implementation of its programme in the state.

Rotimi also noted that the Foundation had reached out to various communities and the public through its media platforms in order to communicate the positive outcome impacted on the wellbeing of the people of the state.

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Malnutrition: USAID doles out RUFT worth 3.5 million Dollars to Nigeria

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The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has donated 60,000 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUFT) to Bauchi, Kebbi, and Sokoto States to mitigate severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria.

USAID in a press statement made available to journalists after the official handover of the RUFT in Abuja on Thursday, said the approach became necessary as millions of Nigerian children are being affected by malnutrition.

The agency stated that the approach is in collaboration with the Nigerian government, to strengthen local RUTF manufacturing, as well as incorporate RUTF into state health systems such as health insurance, drug revolving funds, and health budgets.

The statement reads in part, “The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated over 60,000 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF)-valued at $3.5 million to the governors of Bauchi, Kebbi, and Sokoto states in Nigeria. The handover is part of USAID’s bid to expand access to treatment for severe acute malnutrition.

“In Nigeria, severe acute malnutrition remains a significant public health concern, affecting 3.6 million children. With challenges of food insecurity, limited access to quality healthcare, and inadequate nutrition interventions, multisectoral collaboration and innovation is needed. Expanding sustainable local access to affordable, life-saving nutrition commodities is essential to address severe malnutrition in Nigerian children.”

The agency added that the approach also  improves the quality of groundnut inputs for manufacturing RUTF, to strengthen the quality of nutrition health services and to integrate humanitarian nutrition services more sustainably.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, USAID Mission Director, Melissa Jones said, “Reducing malnutrition is a critical component of improving health, education, and inclusive economic development.

“We commend Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health for including RUTF and other nutrition commodities in the list of essential medicines. Doing so allows this life-saving essential food to be procured and made available at all health facilities.”

Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Hon. Mohammed Auwal Jatau, commended USAID for its interventions in Bauchi.

Jatau gave the indication while receiving 17,500 cartons of RUTF donated by the USAID to the Bauchi State government.

The Deputy Governor said to reciprocate  the gesture, the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed would continue to fulfil the obligations of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU.

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