By Suleiman Adamu, Sokoto
The Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Nigeria Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has urged the Medecins Sans Frontiers , MSF otherwise Doctors without borders to intensify efforts towards mitigating Noma disease and other health deficiencies affecting the public through responsive interventions.
Abubakar spoke at the event organised by MSF to commemorate the 6th Noma National Day in Sokoto.
He noted that MSF had over a decade been responsive and doing well with commensurate record of achievements to show in its intervention activities in the health sector.
According to the revered monarch who was represented by the Sarkin Sudan of Wurno, Alhaji Kabiru Chigari Alhassan,” MSF is one active stakeholder in addressing public health related issues that has for years , created and exhibited living examples of what health intervention has positively impacted.”
The royal father further expressed optimism that MSF would in no time roll back Noma disease to zero level through preventive than curative measures.
The MSF Head of Mission, Mohammed Ali Omer said between 1999 to date when Noma Hospital, Sokoto was commissioned , more than 4,000 major and other related surgeries were successfully carried out by its team of experts.
According to the Official, the hospital has over time treated patients from across 10 states in the north, adding that ” the hospital has significantly improved by focusing at detecting , treating and preventing Noma which are primary to MSF.”
Though, Omer said preventing the disease, required global collective response in the fight as a neglected tropical disease.
” As a build up,we are strengthening engagements in the area of training of both community and health care workers across 19 out 23 LGAs in Sokoto state .
” We hope to extend similar activity to Kebbi and other states of the Northwest and beyond”, he said.
Meanwhile, in his presentation, Dr Suleiman Ibrahim of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital said children between 2yrs and 6 yrs were more vulnerable to Noma disease which he attributed to poverty as a result of malnutrition among other risk factors as poor personal hygiene(oral), child killer diseases as measles.
He decried the low rate of proteinous food intake among children while noting that ” it is surprising that in northern Nigeria which has large proteinous food but not consumed.”
In the same vein, Dr Peter Ajanson who highlighted on Noma at global level noted the rate of zero access to general immunization in addition to poor health system , incapacitated PHCs, distance and high cost of accessing treatment among other factors responsible .
” Northeast has 27%, Northwest 27% and Northcentral attracts 12%”, Ajanson said .
According g to him, the statistics was based on the NBS, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Garvey survey reports.
