No fewer than 4,000 children under five years old are set to benefit from the D-8 Health and Social Protection Programme (D-8 HSP) as it launched the 2024 Medical Mission and Outreach in Niger State. Additionally, 1,200 pregnant women will receive multi-micronutrient supplements (MMS) as part of this year’s program.
The global director of the D-8 HSP, Dr. Ado G. Mohammed, announced this in Minna on Friday during the flag-off ceremony of the 2024 medical outreach. He stated that the initiative will benefit 24,000 children and 7,200 pregnant women across five states: Niger, Kano, Enugu, Osun, Bauchi, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The theme for this year’s medical mission outreach, “Enhancing Community Health for Resilience in the Affected States in Nigeria,” highlights D-8 HSP’s commitment to collaborating with member state governments to improve the health and well-being of all D-8 citizens.
Dr. Ado explained that the D-8 HSP, an affiliate of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), is dedicated to providing sustainable and scalable solutions to eradicate poverty, reduce hunger, and improve health and well-being in member states, which include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, Malaysia, and Turkey.
“The 2024 Medical Outreach targets to reach 4,000 children under five with Vitamin A, Zinc/ORS, micronutrient powder, and deworming drugs, along with multi-micronutrient supplements (MMS) for 1,200 pregnant mothers,” said Dr. Ado. “Additionally, the D-8 HSP is donating 400 delivery kits to pregnant mothers to alleviate the financial burden on families expecting new babies, along with new bedsheets to the General Hospital to support health service delivery.”
Calling on member states to embrace the medical mission outreach, Dr. Ado emphasized that this initial outreach will help the D-8 HSP understand the needs of the states better and identify ways to prioritize its efforts more effectively. “At D-8 HSP, we serve the people, seeking to improve their health and livelihoods. We incorporate community participation and ownership into our programs to ensure the long-term sustainability of our interventions.”
The outreach aims to support Nigeria’s progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and will commence in the first phase states of Niger, Kano, FCT, Enugu, Osun, and Bauchi. It will focus on disease control, maternal health, providing nutritional needs for pregnant women and children, and testing and counseling for HIV/AIDS, with a special emphasis on children under five and pregnant mothers.
In 2023, D-8 HSP supported the remodeling of a Primary Health Center in Kaduna State to enhance access to healthcare. This year, the goal is to provide a comprehensive range of medical services, including hypertension checks, blood sugar checks, HIV testing, malaria testing, family planning services, and the distribution of Vitamin A supplements and deworming drugs.
Dr. Ado emphasized that the mission is not only to deliver these essential services but also to improve the overall health and nutritional status of vulnerable populations while promoting the values and mission of the D-8 HSP. The program’s approach incorporates community participation and ownership to ensure the long-term sustainability of its interventions. Expected outcomes include improved overall health and nutritional status of vulnerable populations, increased awareness and knowledge of health and nutrition practices, strengthened capacity of local health workers and community leaders, and sustainable strategies for ongoing health and nutritional support in rural communities.
In his keynote address, Dr. Bello Tukur, the commissioner for secondary and tertiary health in Niger State, called for cooperation with the D-8 HSP to collaborate with the state government towards improving the health sector. He acknowledged that the health sector in the state faces challenges in infrastructure and manpower, but noted that some of these challenges are beginning to receive attention under the current administration.
