Chima Azubuike, Gombe
The Civil Society in Malaria Control Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN), says community members have neglected health facilities due to fear of contracting the Coronavirus from health workers.
According to the state Chairperson of ACOMIN, Hassana Maisanda, conducting interventions amidst the pandemic presents several challenges, adding that there are inadequate provisions of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers especially those engaged at primary health centres.
Maisada stated this on Friday, in Gombe during a Media Advocacy, where she stressed that inadequate PPE’s may not encourage health workers to provide optimum services.
“The covid-19 pandemic had also had an effect on accessing malaria services in health facilities as the people are afraid of being suspected to have covid-19, if they presented symptoms at the facilities. Many community members have a notion that since people who are sick visit the health facility the facility staff will most likely come in contact with covid-19 cases and as such they see the facility as places where covid-19 infection could happen. As a result, they avoid visiting the facilities.
While noting that restriction caused by the novel coronavirus has hampered community health volunteers from carrying out malaria interventions.
“Carrying out intervention amidst the coronavirus pandemic presents several challenges which are not limited to Restriction of movement as it prevents community health volunteers from carrying out malaria interventions. There is also inadequate provision of PPE’s particularly at primary health centres exposed and as such they may not be able to provide optimum services as required by the clients,” She said.
According to the chairperson there is need for government across all divide to increase budgetary funding allocated for Malaria prevention and treatment.
She said, “There is need for increased funding for malaria interventions by Government at all levels. Support for the project implementation in terms of human resource development. There is also need for government to claim ownership for sustainability plan and support in improving the quality of health service delivery.”
Maisada said ACOMIN is focused on providing accountability for commodity utilization, to ensure value for money in budgetary appropriation and human resource deployment.
“The project is implemented in the 13 global fund supported states one of which Gombe is among. Since the inception of the project in May 2019, several success stories have been recorded. Some of which are Hiring a volunteer in Kufai and Deba primary health care where the community agreed to pay the volunteer to continue working in the facility, Working during weekends by health personnels out of their schedule, Renovating a labour room and Antenatal Clinic seats at Kwami model health centre, Health out post in Tete, and Kufai PHC’s, Improvement of attitude of doctors towards client in Zambukk and building the road leading to the facility among other renovations in the same facility, Improvement in the attitude of health workers towards malaria service delivery across the 5 implementing LGA’s of accountability and advocacy project and to create awareness on the perception of community members positively, to increase patronage of community dwellers towards malaria health services in many communities across the board,” she added.
On his part Abubakar Dauda, Director Budget, Ministry of Finance lauded the effort of ACOMIN in malaria prevention in the state saying that the current administration is health care oriented.
He said “Government business is to ameliorate the problems in the society and we are going to give them all the support needed. That is why am here and we have made pledges because the present government is concerned about the health of Gombe people. We expect a lot of changes because more funds will be allocated to malaria treatment, if you recall NCDC has reiterated that primary healthcare activities should continue as we can not relegate other diseases even though covid-19 is the current issue, other health ailments will have to be treated. From statistics Malaria is the greatest claimer of lives in Africa, So government priority is still there in providing services especially the treatment of Malaria.”
The State Programme Officer ACOMIN Samuel Chuwang said part of the goal of the organization is to ensure the optimum utilization of commodities. “Even to the community dwellers, we ensure they utilize the value of the drugs, using proper awareness,” he added.
Society for Family Health was amongst important stakeholders at the meeting.