Peter Anosike

The Enugu State government last week flagged off its First Round of the 2019 National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDS) programme in all the 17 local government areas of the state to tackle polio and other preventable childhood diseases among children.

Speaking at the flag off ceremony, the Executive Secretary, Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr George Ugwu, stated that the immunization exercise, organized by the state in collaboration with other partners, was part of ongoing measures to rejig primary health care delivery and stamp out polio at the grassroots in the state.

He disclosed that already, the State’s Primary Health Care Development Agency has employed thousands of doctors and other health workers, as well as deployed them to the various primary health care centres to ensure the success of the programme.

“Our state was rated the best in immunization services some time ago. It is in our bid to retain that position that we are gathered here today to flag off another round of immunization for our children,” he said.

He maintained that the fact that the governor took part in the exercise himself gave it the legitimacy it deserves. “We are out to ensure, together with our partners that there is no single case of polio in Enugu State and the entire Nigeria.

“We want parents and caregivers to make available children within the age of 0-5 because the vaccines we shall be giving them are safe and effective,” he assured.

He thanked the governor for his efforts to improve the health care delivery in the state, especially the primary health care, noting that primary health care is everything.

“If we do not get our primary health care sector right, we cannot get the other sectors right. Many of our people are living in villages and they depend completely on these primary health care for survival,” he said.

Ugwu noted that it is good that the federal and state governments, as well as other concerned agencies are working to improve the state of the primary health care sector.

Earlier in his address, Enugu State governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi stated that the NIPDS is a bi-annual polio immunization exercise designed to hold in the entire states of the federation and the FCT with a view to ensuring that children from 0-5 years are protected from Polio infection.

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He commended the Federal Government, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency led by the executive secretary, Dr Ugwu for their efforts in ensuring the eradication of polio in the country.

According to him, his administration was not only determined to ensure the complete eradication of polio in Enugu State, but was already taking pro-active measures to ensure that the menace does not recur in the state.

While calling on all mothers and child care givers in the state to take full advantage of this opportunity and other immunization initiatives, he assured all concerned bodies of his continued support and corporation towards the full realization of this all important objective.

Addressing the crowd during the flag-off programme, the Permanent Secretary, Enugu State Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeanyi Agugiobi, recalled that it has been 11 years now since Enugu State recorded its last case of polio and expressed his joy that the great health reformist Governor Ugwuanyi has maintained the status quo of “Free-Polio-Enugu State’’.

He acknowledged the efforts and zeal of the “brand new executive secretary” of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ugwu for providing an enabling environment for the ministry and all her partners to deliver these services to the public.

On his part, the Chief of Field Office for UNICEF in Enugu, Dr Ibrahim Kalim Kante, while congratulating Ugwuanyi on his re-emergence for a second term said that the governor has made adequate health care delivery a top priority of his administration.

Noting that Polio has remained a global issue, he said that Nigeria in general has done well in eradicating it “and this is because of the extent of efforts state governors have put into tackling the menace and protecting the lives of children.

“The fact that the governor is here himself is a show of his level of commitment to delivering quality healthcare and we want to assure him of our continued support to ensure that the health of women and children of the state are properly taken care of.

“Ugwuanyi has been making efforts to ensure that the improved health indices of the state are very good. Dedicating his deputy governor to be in charge of primary health care delivery in the state has yielded good results,”  just as he called on the governor to continue his “good works”.

Also speaking during the event, state Coordinator, World Health Organization, WHO, Dr Ada Enyinna, said that despite being a Polio-free state, some children have not been reached and as such remain unimmunized.

She encouraged the state to continue to strengthen all activities that would help her maintain a routine immunization status of 85 per cent of all antigens from outreaches in communities and ensuring regular and adequate supply of vaccines.