Northern Pulse

By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

Kaduna State Government, supported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have rolled out an integrated mobile healthcare outreach in Mashi Gwari community, delivering essential services directly to residents cut off by distance and cost.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Mashi Gwari community, is located at Afaka Ward, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where the government and UNICEF, on Wednesday offered the integrated mobile healthcare outreach.

Habiba Abubakar, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for the Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Disease Control Programme at the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, said the government is intensifying outreach to hard-to-reach communities to improve access to essential healthcare services.

She explained that the intervention targets underserved areas where residents face significant barriers to accessing basic health services, particularly women and children.

According to her, Mashi community was identified as a zero-dose area, indicating low immunisation coverage and increased vulnerability to preventable diseases.

Abubakar noted that poor immunisation uptake heightens the risk of outbreaks, making it necessary for health authorities to prioritise such locations for integrated medical interventions.

She added that the outreach included services on nutrition, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases, alongside health education to improve awareness and encourage utilisation of available services.

The officer stated that the programme targets children under five, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly, while also screening the general population for tuberculosis.

She emphasised that tuberculosis remains a public health concern that can affect individuals across all age groups, hence the inclusive nature of the exercise.

Abubakar said the turnout had been encouraging, attributing the success to prior advocacy and engagement with community gatekeepers, including religious and traditional leaders.

She observed that many residents, especially women, had come out in large numbers to access the services at the designated central location within the community.

She added that the strategic choice of a central point allowed easy access for residents, enabling more people to benefit from the outreach.

Dinesh Agrawal, the Chief, Decision Support in the SRM Section, Division of Financial and Administrative Management at UNICEF Headquarters, New York, stressed the impact of integrated mobile services communities.

Agrawal described the initiative as an innovative approach that brings essential healthcare directly to underserved populations, especially children and vulnerable groups.

He noted that the deployment of fully equipped mobile trucks enables residents to conveniently access healthcare services within their communities without the usual barriers of distance and cost.

According to him, the presence of multiple facilities within a single mobile unit reflects a well-coordinated effort to expand healthcare reach and improve service delivery.

Agrawal emphasised that the collaboration between communities, government authorities and UNICEF is clearly yielding positive outcomes on the ground.

He added that the partnership demonstrates how collective action can significantly improve the lives of children and families, describing the experience as both impactful and encouraging.

The Village Head of Tsohuwar Mashi, Mr Luka Mashi, expressed deep appreciation and gratitude to the organisers for bringing the intervention to the community.

He said it was the first time in the village's history that such medical outreach is coming to their doorstep.

"Frankly speaking, this is the first time in our history that such kind of outreach is reaching our village. We only hear that it is going on in neighbouring communities, where we mobilise our people to go and benefit," he said.

Mashi lamented that the community is battling numerous types of diseases, stressing that the outreach would go a long way in improving the health status of the people and reducing preventable illnesses.

He urged the community members to come out en masse to benefit from the free medical services being provided.

Mrs. Nike Okedere, Women Leader of the community, said she mobilised residents ahead of the medical outreach after receiving information from the community head.

She explained that the cillage head informed her about the exercise a day earlier, prompting her to sensitise residents on the need to participate.

Okedere said she went from house to house to notify community members, while also using the women’s platform to reach those who were not at home.

She added that the Village Head also deployed children to move around the community to spread the message, urging everyone to come out and benefit from the outreach.

According to her, the mobilisation effort recorded positive response as many residents turned out for the exercise.

She described her excitement as overwhelming, noting that it was the first time such an intervention had been brought directly to the community.

“Honestly speaking, I was very excited because this is the first time that this kind of thing will happen in our community. I have been here for 13 years, and this is the first time we are witnessing this,” she said.

Okedere recalled that in the past, residents only heard about similar programmes taking place in other communities, where they had to travel to access such services.

She said the presence of the outreach in their community marked a significant development and brought relief to many residents.

Speaking on healthcare access, Okedere lamented the long distance residents had to travel before accessing medical services.

She said community members often travel about 18 kilometres to the nearest health facility, describing the situation as a major challenge, especially for the sick and elderly.

She appealed for the establishment of a healthcare facility within the community to ease the burden of distance and improve access to basic medical services.(NAN)