Olabode Adaramola

The Niger State branch of the Nigerian  Medical Association (NMA)  has decried the poor level of immunization coverage in the state.

The state chairman of the association, Dr Mustapha Yahaya, stated this on Friday when he led members of the association on a courtesy call on the leadership of the  State House of Assembly, in Minna.

Dr. Yahaya, stated further  that the National Immunization Coverage Survey,  2017, being  conducted by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency ( NPHCDA)  shows Niger state’s  coverage at a dismal 20 percent.

“The implication of this is that only 1  out of 5 children, aged 12 to 24 months received all prescribed vaccines.

“This is a disaster and threat to national development and we call on our legislators to urgently review our laws to strengthen our routine immunization programme  to secure the future of our children,” he added

He also urged the state government to fully implement the National Health Bill passed into law in 2014, saying that it would guarantee universal health access to all.

Dr. Yahaya further advocated 15 per cent budgetary allocation to the health sector, in line with World Health Organization’s  recommendation, so as to reverse the poor health indices in the state.

According to him, there are currently 469 medical doctors in the state, adding that  they needed improved welfare packages to not only keep them in the civil service but to also  attract more medical personnel to the state.

He said the ratio of doctors to people in the state was 1 doctor to 8,000 people as against 1 to 600 as recommended by the World Health Organization(WHO), while the national average is 1 to 4000.

In his response, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Marafa, promised improved budgetary allocation to the health sector in 2018.

“We took a big leap from single to double digits in 2017. From 5 percent in previous years we moved to 11 percent last year.
“In 2018, if at all we don’t hit 15 percent, I want to assure you that we will be much closer to it, ” he said.

Marafa noted that he was close to floating a personal health insurance scheme that would capture 22, 000 people in the informal sector as part of his own efforts to improve the sector.

He pledged the Assembly’s commitment to enacting laws that would strengthen the state’s health care system for more efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.