By; ABUBAKAR RABILU, Gombe The Gombe State Government, in collaboration with Rotary International, has intensified efforts to reduce mater
By; ABUBAKAR RABILU, Gombe
The Gombe State Government, in collaboration with Rotary International, has intensified efforts to reduce maternal and child deaths through a joint medical outreach in selected local government areas.
The initiative, launched in Gombe, Kaltungo and Yamaltu-Deba LGAs, was flagged off by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, alongside the National Coordinator of Rotary Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health in Nigeria, Prof. Emmanuel Adedolapo Lufadeju.
At Yelenguruza and Kagarawal communities in Gombe LGA, residents received free consultations, treatment and health sensitisation.
Prof. Lufadeju said the programme focused on two key objectives: direct medical care and community-wide awareness.
He disclosed that over 120 people turned out at Kagarawal alone, with more than 70 percent testing positive for malaria without knowing it.
“This shows how silent the disease can be, and I am glad treatment was provided,” he said.
Prof. Lufadeju noted that Rotary has been carrying out similar interventions in Nigeria since 2013, combining community dialogue, diagnosis and treatment.
He described the Gombe outreach as innovative, with simultaneous activities in different communities.
He added that maternal and child deaths have significantly declined in areas covered by the initiative, with more women attending antenatal and postnatal clinics and men increasingly supporting their wives to seek medical care.
Dr.Habu Dahiru commended Rotary for its sustained partnership and urged residents to utilise the upgraded health facilities across the state.
He reminded pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics and parents to immunise children under five.
Beneficiaries in Kagarawal praised the government and Rotary for bringing healthcare closer to them, describing the intervention as timely and impactful.
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