UNICEF celebrates health achievements in Katsina
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has announced a significant reduction in the under-five mortality rate in Katsina State, from 188 to 105 per 1,000 live births between 2018 and 2024.
This was revealed by Mr Rahama Mohammed-Farah, UNICEF’s Chief of the Kano Field Office.
He made the announcement during the closeout and handover of the Federal Government/UNICEF/Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI)/Primary Health Care MoU project.
Mohammed-Farah highlighted key achievements from the three-year partnership. These included a 20 per cent increase in Penta 3 vaccination coverage, which rose from 33.7 per cent in 2018 to 53.3 per cent in 2023.
He added that, “The progress was achieved in spite of the security challenges faced by the state, underscoring the resilience and commitment of the program to improve health outcomes in the region.
“There were also a significant improvement in measles vaccination rates and a reduction in zero-dose children between 2018 and 2024.”
He said in 2024, more than 300,000 children were vaccinated with Penta 1 and Penta 3, and more than 335,000 children received the measles vaccine.
He said additionally, 305,752 pregnant women received their first antenatal care, marking a 98 per cent increase.
This achievement is based on data from the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS).
This reduction highlights the positive impact of various health interventions and partnerships in the region, contributing to improvements in child health and survival rates over the past few years.
Mohammed-Farah said the programme also enrolled 28,811 vulnerable people, including pregnant women and mothers of children under five, into health insurance coverage in eight local government areas (LGAs).
“Furthermore, 99 per cent of adolescent girls in the state were vaccinated against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).”
The GAVI/UNICEF MoU programme invested 7.9 million dollars, with the state co-financing an additional 597,667 dollars.
Mohammed-Farah said funding facilitated key infrastructure improvements, including solarising cold storage rooms, building a new service coordination office, and distributing 361 motorcycles to reach hard-to-access communities.
Additionally, he said one refrigerated van and three Hilux trucks were acquired to enhance vaccine distribution.
According to him, seven Primary Health Centres (PHCs) were being renovated, with plans for completion by March.
He said in total, 438 frontline health workers were recruited and integrated into the government workforce, strengthening the overall healthcare delivery system.
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