By Asma’u Ahmad
Primary healthcare stakeholders on Monday called for collaboration in the fight against Pneumonia.
They made the call at the occasion of the 2016 World Pneumonia Day Symposium in Abuja, with the theme “The Road to Ending Pneumonia in Nigeria.”
The Acting Executive Director, Dr. Emmanuel Oduh, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said stakeholders in the health sector must collaborate in the fight against pneumonia.
The executive director said that government was committed to increasing access to antibiotic treatment for children with pneumonia as part of effort to save about one million lives.
“About 128,000 Nigerian children lost their lives to pneumonia in 2015, the second highest number of child pneumonia deaths in the world.
“Less than half of all children with suspected pneumonia are taken for treatment and just 23 per cent receives antibiotics in Nigeria, so major stakeholders are encouraged to partner with NPHCDA to fight pneumonia,” said Oduh.
He said that the government of Nigeria had in July 7, 2012, introduced a new vaccine called pentavalent with five antigens.
“Another vaccine that is now available nationwide called Pneumococal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) was also introduced, which targets the leading causes of pneumonia,” he said.
In his opening remarks, the Chief of Jiwa and Chairman Council of Traditional Leaders, FCT, Alhaji Idris Musa, said the symposium would afford stakeholders opportunity to take stocks of the various efforts put in place to combat the pneumonia disease.
“The essence is to create awareness about the dangers of pneumonia as well as promote interventions to protect against, prevent and treat pneumonia.
“We all have crucial roles to play in ensuring the optimum use of recently introduced PVC to prevent and protect our children from the disease,” he said.
The emir is also a Member of Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care, said the leaders had great roles to ensure that their communities are protected.
He, however, commended the federal government for the ongoing revitalisation scheme aimed at the provision of functional and affordable healthcare services especially Routine Immunisations to Nigerians.
The Wife of the Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Zainab Bagudu urged the stakeholders to contribute their quotas in ensuring that the Nigerian children are protected through Routine Immunisation.
“We must continue to enlighten Nigerians on the importance of protecting and preventing all diseases that affect women and children and the general public in general,” she said.
