From Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
A team of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has conducted 32 surgeries for noma patients in Sokoto State.
The surgical intervention was held from 23 October to 4 November 2022, according to the MSF project coordinator in Sokoto, Dr Shamun Abubakar during the commemoration of Noma Day.
He said since the start of the activities in 2014, a total of 1,066 major surgeries have been conducted for the noma patients in the state.
“MSF is supporting the Noma Hospital in Sokoto through inpatient care, reconstructive surgeries, outreach activities, nutrition and mental health support.
“Noma is preventable and treatable, but people still die from it because of the limited knowledge about the disease and on how to detect it.
“Up to 90 per cent of people affected by noma die in the first two weeks if they don’t receive treatment in time. That is why early detection is important,” says MSF project coordinator.
On his part, Acting Head of Mission, Mohammed Ali Omer said in collaboration with the health authorities and other stakeholders, MSF is commemorating the noma day in order to raise awareness about the disease, address stigma attached to it and highlight specialized activities on the disease, so the patients can access the services.
Omer also said besides over 1000 surgeries since the beginning of the activities in Sokoto, “MSF teams have held 16,857 mental health counselling and 2,185 health promotion sessions; furthermore, admitted 1,349 patients for both medical and surgical management of noma.
“In addition, a total of 103 survivors were admitted to the Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ITFC), and 35 were enrolled in the Ambulatory Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ATFC),” he explained.
In his remarks, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Said Abubakar III resprested by Sarkin Sudan of Wurno, Alhaji Kabiru Chigari Alhassan commended the efforts of the team in the state.