The Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA) in collaboration with Sydani Group and National Primary HealthCare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has held a two-day Southern Religious and Traditional leaders Engagement (SoRTEL) for Primary Healthcare delivery.
The State Training of Trainers and Inauguration activity was held in Awka.
It had in attendance Royal fathers, Partners, representatives of NPHCDA, ASPHCDA, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), State Council of Islamic Affairs and Social Mobilization Officers (SMOs) of the 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike in his speech welcomed the guests to the engagement and official inauguration of the State Health Committee for the SoRTLE Project.
Dr. Obidike who was represented by the Executive Secretary, ASPHCDA, Pharm Chisom Uchem noted that the event was the culmination of collective efforts from the Sydani Partners, NPHCDA and ASPHCDA.
“In line with the agenda to ensure optimal health care delivery, Sydani Group in partnership with NPHCDA has received funding support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen our primary health care delivery.
“This will be achieved by working with and empowering traditional and religious leaders across the 17 southern states in Nigeria of which Anambra is one of the states,” he explained.
He noted the project has key the objective of supporting the state government to strengthen and empower the platforms and structures for systematic engagement by traditional and religious leaders across the state, LGAs and sub-LGA levels.
“This is to enable us promote effective PHC delivery, with particular focus on immunization program and polio eradication efforts of which Anambra state has been a partner.”
Speaking on reason behind the religious and traditional leaders engagement, the commissioner noted that the power of traditional and religious leaders office and their positive influence over the people could not be over emphasized.
“As we know, the SoRTLE Project is aimed at shaping our primary health care delivery and we can not go below expectations.
“I am here today to awaken the spirit of all the state health committee members as Ndi Anambra, to be consistent, persistent, diligent and dedicated to the call and demands of the project.
“This is our call and we have come to embrace it. I want to assure the heath committee of our support anytime in the course of their activities on this project.
“It is my sincere wish that the learnings resulting from this engagements will positively contribute to the consolidated improvements in our immunization programmes and fight against polio,” he added.
He, was then, charged with upholding the aim of the SoRTLE project in achieving its sole objectives while expressing gratitude to the State Technical Committee and Partners for the success of the event.
The Director of Disease Control and Immunization, ASPHCDA, Dr. Nnamdi Placid Uliagbafusi stressed that every community should be mobilized on the uptake of immunization not only during campaigns but whenever a child is born.
“Parents should be encouraged to start and complete their child’s Routine Immunization (RI) as Immunization campaigns are to boost immunization status and increase child immunity.”
He commended the Religious, Traditional, and Islamic organizations and SMOs for their activities and participation in the state’s immunization activities while urging them to do more to increase the uptake.
The State Immunization Officer (SIO), Mrs. Edith Onwuka to have a baseline knowledge of the state’s status of its Routine Immunization (RI) activities and fight against polio, gave a recap of the immunization activities in the state.
The State Health Educator (SHE), ASPHCDA, Mrs. Uju Onwuegbuzina explained that the role of the Traditional, Religious, Islamic, and SMOs in the engagement was to aid in scaling up the uptake of polio vaccination and other antigens in their different health facilities across the state.
“We want the state’s RI to be 100 percent and above with not a single child missed as we want all eligible children to get vaccinated for all antigens including COVID-19 vaccination.”
She noted that each association present has a lot to do in grassroots mobilization which should be done at the right time.
The Sydani Consultant, Mr. Kenechi Nnaji explained that the goal of the engagement was to on-board the technical team on the SoRTLE project whose objectives were to: intimate health focal persons on the project implementation plan and emphasized the expectations of Sydani from the technical team.
He enlightened the participants on the background of the project with its aim to leverage the influence of traditional and religious leaders in driving the uptake of polio vaccination and other PHC services in the 17 Southern states
“Following the landscape assessment, health committees consisting of traditional and religious leaders will be constituted in the 17 states and they will serve as an interface between the community and government on health-related issues,” he said.
The Traditional Ruler of Omasi Community in Ayamelum LGA, Igwe B.O. Okefi assured that his office would aid in ensuring the improvement in immunization uptake in his community, LGA, and state.
The CAN Chairman, Onitsha North LGA, Venerable Joseph Nweke noted that the Church was always involved and aids in the mobilization of its members for immunization uptake and would continue to do so.
A Representative of the Muslim Community in the state, Hajia Khadijat Olahan noted that ASPHCDA had a structure on the ground that takes care of every group of persons in the state.
“The Muslim Community is recognized and part of the Agency’s State Social Mobilization Committee (SSMC); we get firsthand information and also participate in the Agency’s programmes and activities. “
“Each time there is an immunization activity, we are involved and we have a network that ensures that no child is missed in our community and as we move forward, we promise to do more,” she added.
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