About 20,000 children in Bayelsa State have not had access to immunization due to the terrain and riverine nature of the state, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said.
Media Aide to Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Mr Doubara Atasi, in a statement on Thursday, said UNICEF also donated six brand new water ambulances boats to boost immunization coverage and primary care delivery services in riverine communities of the state.
Speaking during the donation ceremony in Yenagoa on Thursday, the UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Cristian Munduate, applauded the state government for prioritizing healthcare delivery services, especially in the primary healthcare sector.
Munduate noted that the six water ambulances donated by UNICEF and its partners were meant to cover up existing gaps in the health sector, as Bayelsa still had about 20,000 children yet to be reached for immunization.
She, however, noted that from the numbers available, Bayelsa achieved a 20 percent increase in routine immunization in the last couple of year, adding that there was still room for improvement to achieve 100 percent coverage.
Receiving the water ambulance boats, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, who was represented by his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo appealed to UNICEF to establish a field office in the state to coordinate its programmes and strengthen partnership with the government to better deliver on its mandate.
Ewhrudjakpo, said the creation of a UNICEF field office in the state would make them achieve better coordination and implementation of the organization’s policies and programmes.
In his speech, he expressed his profound gratitude to the organization, and the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) for their partnership with government to improve primary healthcare indices and indicators.
He said: “Bayelsa is 70 per cent riverine. So for us to make effective supervision, for effective healthcare delivery to the people, boats were required, and today you have delivered six water ambulances.
“So, we are very grateful to UNICEF for the six water ambulances to boost our healthcare delivery system. We also want to thank you for renovating six health centres in our state. It will be unfair if we do not acknowledge that kind gesture of yours.
“But there is an appeal I want to make here. We have been having issues with the UNICEF Rivers State field office, so we don’t mind, even if it is just one cubicle you create for us as UNICEF Bayelsa State office. We will be very happy if you can do that for us.”
