UNICEF hails success of GAVI-PHC MoU in Gombe

From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced a major success in the implementation of the GAVI Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Primary Health Care (PHC) in Gombe.

The GAVI-funded programme, which kicked off in April 2022 in Gombe State, has brought about improvements in PHC services, benefiting thousands of children and families in the state.

According to UNICEF, the programme was designed to support the implementation of the Nigerian Government’s Health System Strengthening (Primary Health Care MoU) Programme in Gombe and seven other states across the country.

Speaking during the handover and way forward ceremony on Friday in Gombe, the Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office (BFO), Dr Nuzhat Rafique, disclosed that the GAVI-PHC MoU focuses on strengthening immunisation systems, improving vaccine coverage, and enhancing overall health service delivery in underserved communities.

She stated that through the collaboration, Gombe has seen an increase in vaccination rates, leading to better protection against preventable diseases. Revealing the successes recorded by the programme, the BFO chief said, “440 trained health workers recruited and distributed to PHC facilities across the 114 wards ensured the availability of at least two skilled health workers to support maternal and newborn services.”

She added that the partnership led to the enrolment of 24,874 vulnerable women and children under a health insurance scheme in the four priority zero-dose LGAs. She said, “The percentage of pregnant women supported at birth by a skilled health worker increased from 21.1 to 37.9 percent between 2018 and 2024 (80% increase). The percentage of women receiving postnatal checks during the first two days after birth increased from 25.1 to 44.9 percent between 2018 and 2024 (79% increase).”

Commenting on the handover and sustainability of the successes, Dr Rafique said, “This is a transition and handover exercise to state authorities. The MoU programme supported the development of the 2025 Gombe State Health Sector Annual Operational Plan as the instrument for the sustainability of the MoU programme.”