The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has supported the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board in providing critical health services to an underserved community, Kwarau, Gari Ward of Igabi LGA.

At the sideline of the outreach on Friday in Kaduna, Anne Carlson, the deputy coordinator, UNICEF New York, said they provided essential services to the community.

They included malnutrition screening, health services, immunisation and birth registration.

Ms Carlson added that the services were being provided in collaboration with the government and other partners, and were targeted at families with young children.

She said that it was vital that the services continued, thanking the dedicated workers for ensuring families have access to them.

Also, Gerida Birukila, UNICEF chief of field office in Kaduna, said the people in the community travelled over 10 kilometres to access health care.

Ms Birukila said the community was special because it was far from the nearest health facilities, and the state government supports mobile outreaches for such areas.

Ms Birukila added that the outreach provided treatment for malnutrition, immunisation, and other ailments.

“Many children are missing out on life-saving interventions due to a lack of immunisation. Taking services to faraway communities is increasing uptake,” she said.

She thanked the state government and partners for their support.

Ms Birukila expressed a desire to do more and take services closer to the people, reducing travel time and increasing access to healthcare.

She believed such an approach would improve health outcomes in the community.

Aisha Idris, the local immunisation officer, Igabi LGA, said the outreach was targeted at zero-dose children (0-11 months) for immunisation.

She added that medications and Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) were also given to mothers who have malnourished children.

Ms Idris also said iron folates was given to pregnant mothers.

She lamented that the village was underserved, hard-to-reach, and in need of health services, adding that the intervention was timely.

The village head of Kwarau, Igabi LGA, Kwarau Gari Ward, Umaru Rufa’i, thanked UNICEF and the Kaduna State Government for the kind gesture.

He added that his village was open to any form of development, as long as it was for the benefit of his people.

Mr Rufa’i lamented that many diseases affect rural communities, and medical interventions are always welcomed.

He said, “When one disease is gotten rid of, another one steps in.”

Mr Rufa’i expressed gratitude to UNICEF for giving them the ability to convince and mobilise their people on the exercise.

He wished the exercise would last longer so he could liaise and mobilise neighbouring villages to benefit from the outreach in his community.

Mr Rufa’i believed that it would bring more development to his people.

(NAN)