WorldStage Newsonline– To commemorate the World Health Day 2018, with the theme; “Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere’’, Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) has organised a training for primary healthcare professionals in Ogun.
The focus for this year World Health Day, being celebrated annually on 7 April is to ensure that all people can get quality health services, where and when they need them, without suffering financial hardship.
The Ogun Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye, had told a news conference to herald the event that: “Currently, about 800 million people, which constitutes 12 per cent of the world’s population, spend at least 10 per cent of their household budget on health needs.
“Of this number, about 100 million suffer financial hardship because of out of pocket health expenditure.’’
He added that half of the world’s population was unable to obtain essential health services, due to poverty.
Ipaye said that the World Health Day 2018 provided another opportunity for strengthening the healthcare system in Ogun in partnership with stakeholders like Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) which supported the state’s efforts by delivering a capacity building training to Primary HealthCare Professionals (HCPs).
He noted that 110 primary healthcare professionals from Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun participated in the training on “Malnutrition in the First Years of Life: Its Assessment and Management’’.
The commissioner disclosed that some of the measures that the state had put in place to improve maternal and child health included the state funded social insurance scheme, popularly called “Araya’’.
He said that since its inception in 2014, the scheme had enrolled over 23,000 people.
Ipaye expressed appreciation to NNIA for providing support toward the delivery of the health mandate of the administration.
He also thanked the HCPs for making themselves available for the training and encouraged them not to keep the knowledge to themselves, but also to do well to transfer the same to their family members and colleagues who did not have the opportunity to participate in the training.
In his address of welcome at the flag-off of the training at the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) House in Abeokuta, the NNIA representative, Dr Omotayo Omoteso shed light on the objectives of the training.
“Global studies have shown that malnutrition is an underlying factor in 55 percent of all child deaths, with Nigeria largely affected by the scourge.
“Each year, about 1 million Nigerian children die and more than half of these deaths are traceable to malnutrition. This situation calls for urgent multi-stakeholder action,’’ he said.
“Nestle Nutrition Institute Africa is, therefore, happy to collaborate with the Ogun Government in its efforts to address malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life.
“This is in line with our commitment to bridge the gap between science and the practical application of nutrition to ensure a healthier, brighter future for children.
“We therefore welcome this opportunity to contribute through the development of the capabilities of primary healthcare professionals in Ogun.’’
