By Ado Hassan, Sokoto
Sokoto North local government of Sokoto state has so far immunised over 33,000
children across 11 wards in the going IPV and OPV immunisation campaign within the first two days of the exercise.
The campaign under the Sokoto state Primary Healthcare Development Agency(SSPHCDA) in partnership with WHO and UNICEF is a six days exercise carried out across 8 LGs.
They include: Wurno, Wamakko, Kware, Bodinga, Dange/Shuni, Sokoto North, Yabo and Sokoto South respectively.
Speaking to reporters under the auspices of “Journalists Against Polio(JAP)” who were on the field monitoring exercise, the Director of Health, Umar Aliyu Kofar Rini said the council received a total of 98, 950 doses of IPV and OPV vaccines for the exercise.
” We got 49,500 of OPV and 49,450 of IPV to be administered on children under 5 years.
” The exercise is being carried by 40 teams of officials. Each team has a composition of 14 personnels”, he explained.
Kofar Rini continued” before the exercise, we organised advocacy campaigns, taskforce and social mobilisation committee meetings involving traditional rulers, community leaders, women group, Information Officers, NOA and Ulamas who are also on field work supervision.
” The arrangement paid off tremendously as we have not recorded any case of resistance nor rejection”, Kofar Rini said.
Kofar Rini who also doubles as the council’s PHC Coordinator however said the council had an earlier challenge of under utilisation of mobilisers in some of the wards while explaining that” Senior Supervisors had to fully key in and be actively involved including mobilisers engaged by UNICEF to push the exercise towards success.”
Although, the Coordinator explained that the council deliberately refuse to set a coverage target to avoid malpractices and abuse.
” The development is due to past experiences where target numbers were set and those engaged, deliberately sabotage it by using false means to meat the target without necessarily doing the needful. By doing so, the objective and mission is defeated”, he said.
According to him” we will ensure that we cover as many children as possible within the period including mop up”, he added.
He said ” there has been impressive turnout due to adequate mobilisation and support by UNICEF”, he acknowledged.
