The National Population Commission ( NPC) on Monday said it had commenced the 2023/2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) in Kaduna State.

Adama Othman, state director of the commission, who made this known at the launch of the 2023 /2024 NDHS in Kaduna, said the exercise would last till April.

According to her, the survey would be instrumental in providing invaluable insights that inform evidence-based policies and enhance public health intervention, while contributing to the broader development agenda of Nigeria.

She said, “It is essentially a health programme purely designed to generate reliable data on health and health-related issues for policy formulation, programme planning, monitoring and evaluation.”

Represented by Zeliha Wali, the head of the administration department, Ms Othman said the commission had moved the survey from a research initiative to a cornerstone of dependable demographic and health metrics.

Ms Othman revealed that the fieldwork had been concluded in Zaria, Sabon Gari, Soba and Makarfi LGAs.

She said the survey was in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other key partners.

In her briefing, the state coordinator of NHDS, Sarah Atta, said data from the survey would be used to better understand the country’s population, health, and nutrition situation.

“The objectives of the 2023-24 NDHS are to gather high-quality data on a wide range of vital indicators, including fertility rates, maternal and child health, contraceptive use, childhood mortality, gender-related issues, nutrition, HIV/AIDS awareness, and more,” she said.

Ms Atta appealed to local government councils, traditional institutions and communities to support the commission in surveying by allowing unfettered field functionaries access to the selected clusters.

(NAN)