Kebbi Govt partners NURTW for emergency transportation

Kebbi Govt partners NURTW for emergency transportation
NAN-HG-8
Collaboration
By Shuaibu Tatu
Birinin Kebbi, Oct. 6, 2017 (NAN) The Kebbi State Government says it is collaborating with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for emergency transportation of pregnant women and children under five years in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Umar Kambasa, said this on Friday during the flag-off of distribution of health commodities and emergency transport scheme for pregnant women and children in the state in Birnin Kebbi.
“The Kebbi state government is to partner NURTW to reach out to 225 wards in all the 21 local government areas of Kebbi State which are out of reach due to their locations in riverine and mountainous areas,’’ he said.
Kambasa noted that the situation in those areas had claimed lives of many pregnant women and children due to inaccessible roads to the nearby hospitals.
He said: “It is also worthy of note that out of over 4,000 settlements in Kebbi State, 55% are hard-to reach based on their locations in riverine, mountainous, sandy or presence of gullies before accessing the settlements.’’
The commissioner disclosed that the state government is distributing drugs for the management of common ailments such as malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea and meningitis as well as delivery beds, ante-natal care beds and baby beds, among others.
The state NURTW Chairman, Alhaji Garba Danmallam, commended the state government and UNICEF for collaborating with the union.
“We have trained 500 drivers across the state to transport emergency cases of pregnant women from rural to urban areas,” Danmallam said.
The Chief Field Officer of UNICEF in charge of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, Mr Mohammad Muhiddin, disclosed that out of 50 million Euro donated for the states to care for child education and health, Kebbi state got the highest allocation of N4 billion.
According to him, all the equipment donated by UNICEF to health centres in the state are all imported from Japan, stressing that they are cutting edge equipment.
Gov. Abubakar Bagudu thanked UNICEF and other technical partners for their collaboration to ensure improved healthcare services in the state.
Bagudu however called for sustained support to achieve the desired goal. (NAN)
SZT/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola