From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse
No fewer than 110,000 Caregivers in Jigawa state have benefited from “Cash Transfer for Routine Immunization Initiative ” funded by a Non Governmental Organization known as ” All Babies Are Equal”
The Stakeholders Relationship Director of the Organisation Mr Nura Muhammad revealed this when he paid a courtesy visit to Jigawa state Governor Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar at Dutse government house.
He said the program s using cash incentive to encourage mothers and less privilege families to take their children for Routine Immunization.
The Director revealed that, caregivers receives N500 for each of the first four routine immunization visit and N2,000 for the fifth Immunization visit
” We have an evidence that, the .cash transfer initiative contributed to the .increase of routine Immunization coverage with 26% from the commencement of the program in 2018 to 2020″
He said that, ” considering the impact of the initiative at four selected pilot local government areas in the state , Your Excellency we urged you to advocate and promote the “Cash Transfer Incentive for Routine Immunization” program at Nigerian Governors Forum”.
“We are optimistic that, If routine Immunization Coverage increased in the North and Nigeria at large, the National Indices for Child Mortality rate would certainly drop down”, Mr Nura declared.
In his remarks during the visit, Governor Badaru described the Initiative as a classical example of human capital development investment that could enhance social and economic development of any given society.
Governor Badaru promised to keep on collaborating with ” All Babies Are Equal ” and other donor partners to improve public healthcare services delivery for achieving sustainable social and economic development in the state.
Report from the state ministry of health revealed that, as a result of series of intervention, effective strategy and collaboration with partners and other stakeholders the state had a dramatic change in immunization coverage from 7% in 2012 to 93% in 2020.