How SHOP PLUS/ USAID collaborate with Kebbi government to push out diarrhoea

No administration can succeed, if people’s health is not assured. Health has to do with physical, psychological and mental fitness without which people cannot adequately respond to governance process.Towards this end, Kebbi State government, in collaboration with USAID/Sustaining Health Outcomes in the Private Sector Plus (SHOP PLUS) recently flagged off a campaign to push diarrhea away from the state.

The occasion, which held at Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, though aimed at fighting the menace, was also used to present best health award to the governor’s wife, Dr. Zainab Bagudu.

SHOP PLUS is a USAID’s flagship project in the private health sector, awarded to ABT Associates in 2015. Its aim is to increase use off priority health service through strategic expansion of private approach, taking into account the whole health system.

SHOP PLUS has continually consolidated intervention projects in Kebbi and has recently been building community-based organisations and religious organisations’ capacity to increase knowledge and create awareness on the use of Zinc/ORS to treat diarrhoea in children between ages 0 and five at household level.The project involved ministries of health, education, women affairs, agriculture, local government and chieftaincy affairs, AGPMPN (private doctors), AGPNP (private nurses), ACPN (community pharmacists), NAPMED (patent medicine vendors) and others.

In her speech at the event, head of SHOP PLUS team, Mrs. Ayodele Iroko said they have trained 17 private hospitals medical personnel on Push Diarrhea Away in the state, adding that seven local government and villages have been visited during the campaign.She explained that 1,254 slots of jingles on radio and TV have been produced and aired, while over 1000 affected children were treated, together with 25 MCH and 80 zinc volunteers trained for private providers.

Mrs. Iroko stated that the mission is to save children’s lives, as well as ensure that diarrhoea is eradicated from the state through embarking on extensive campaign. She advised parents, especially mothers, to ensure their children are kept away from filthy environment and see to their personal hygiene.She said: “We trained nine community pharmacies, 1,017 patent medicine vendors, PPMVs were also trained, as well as 253 cascades held at routine structure meeting by IPC volunteers.

“During our visit to rural communities, traditional leaders were encouraged to use their special and strategic position to disseminate ORS/Zinc messages to people living in their domain. Causes, signs and symptoms, prevention and treatment of the disease were briefly discussed.”

She explained that community dialogue was designed to engage local communities within a LGA to disseminate information directly on diarrhoea prevention and treatment in 0 to five years. To achieve this, she said densely populated communities within 21 LGAs were selected to benefit from the one-day dialogue.

In her response, First Lady of Kebbi State, Dr. Zainab Atiku Bagudu, thanked the organisation for choosing the state as the focal centre for its activities.She assured them the state’s readiness and cooperation to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

In his remark, Commissioner for health, Alh. Umar Kambaza, said the project, which was founded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been of tremendous support and assistance to Kebbi government in the past three years, through empowerment of health providers to improve quality and increase access to maternal child health service, as well as improve quality of healthcare delivery in the private sector, which is complementing provision of public health service in the state.