PHOTO TAKEN TUESDAY, JAN.27, 2015
PHOTO TAKEN TUESDAY, JAN.27, 2015 In this
photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, villagers sit on the back of a
small truck as they and others flee the recent violence near the
city of Maiduguri, Nigeria. Islamic extremists are rampaging
through villages in northeast Nigeria’s Adamawa state, killing,
burning and looting with no troops deployed to protect civilians,
fleeing villagers said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola)ISA
Stakeholders seeks coordination on Humanitarian Response
in North East
Following the continuous unrest in the North – East and other
kinds of humanitarian emergencies across Nigeria, the Federal
Ministry of Health and Relevant Stakeholders held a National
Discuss tagged: ‘NIGERIA HEALTH HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
DIALOGUE’.
A major part of the event was a Panel discussion on: the way
Forward for Sustainable Health Sector Response to Humanitarian
Crisis in Nigeria ‘’ Humanitarian development peace Nexus’’
Speaking on the topic, Prof.. Babatunji Omatara, who was one of
the panelists, said that there was need for usage of data for
future planning. He also said that health information management
was also required at the local levels.
He pointed out the ‘’ need to strengthen partnership with local
communities, ownership of programs and sustainability of ongoing
efforts”
He further said that the level of preparedness for human
emergencies needed to improve while calling for a sustainability
plan to build human capacity and more funding for health care in
terms of payment for health services.
The World Health Organization, Officer in charge in Nigeria, Dr.
Clement Peters, said that integrated services required that
humanitarian actors must be coordinated by the Federal and State
levels of Government, with a common vision and common efforts.
He observed that the current uncoordinated situation was
characterized by outbreaks resulting in malnutrition and gender
based violence.
The Director, Health Services, Department of State Security
(DSS), Dr. Ann Okoroafor said that ‘’Health threats are top on the
list of security issues.. National development is linked to health.
Conflicts, diseases outbreak; regrettably impact on the health a
people and impede economic growth’’
Dr. Okoroafor emphasized that Health workers needed to be
protected in war affected areas like Maiduguri and other towns in
the North – east. She also pledged that DSS would continue to
cooperate with other relevant stakeholders working in the North –
East.
Also speaking on the topic, the Overseeing Director, National
Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Mr. Bernard Omogo, said that
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), were faced with social and
physical dislocations.
He stressed that NHIS would mobilize resources to provide health
coverage for all Nigerians in that the organization would explore
all available avenues to garner support to ensure that IDPs had
sustainable access to health insurance.
He further urged cooperate bodies to assist the NHIS in
contributing to the pool of funds to cater for the IDPs.
The Panel was moderated by the Director, Special Project/
National Coordinator Health sector Response to Humanitarian Crisis
(FMOH), Dr. Ngozi Azodoh.
Mrs. Boade Akinola
Director, Media and Public Relations