UNICEF says it attends to no fewer than 300 Yelwata victims seeking medical attention daily at its temporary camp in Makurdi.

UNICEF’s field office chief, Gerida Birukila, disclosed this to journalists shortly after the U.S. government officials inspected health facilities and other intervention points at the camp on Thursday.

Ms Birukila said the agency, in collaboration with others, attended to no fewer than 300 victims seeking various healthcare needs at the camp. She said that more than 50 pregnant women had also been referred to the hospital for delivery, just as over 1,000 mama kit bags had been distributed.

“We attend to between 250 and 300 patients with different ailments daily, and we work closely with other partners like the UNFPA, WHO, Red Cross Nigeria, JASPI, the government and others.

“UNICEF and Benue State Rural Water and Supply and Sanitation Agency also ensure that there are WASH services in the camp and this is in a bid to check the outbreak of Cholera and waterborne diseases,” she said.

Ms Birukila also disclosed that no fewer than 500 children have been immunised for polio. She added that the children had also received other antigens to prevent outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, tuberculosis, among other diseases that required routine immunisation.

The UNICEF chief field office stated that the organisation, in collaboration with the federal government and other agencies, had already intervened in the area of general healthcare services.

She further said that UNICEF also offered psycho social support for the traumatised patients, including treatment of ailments, injuries and burns.

“We have hundreds of pregnant women in the camp here. There have been nine deliveries so far; we are able to take care of them in the camp, but those who needed more care were referred to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi,” she said

Similarly, UNICEF Health Specialist, Ifeyinwa Anyanyo, said the organisation offered 24-hour integrated primary healthcare services at the camp.

Ms Anyanyo said the nine babies birthed at the camp and 35 others delivered at BSUTH and their mothers were all doing well, adding that no single death had been recorded at the camp.

(NAN)