By Aliyu Bala Gerengi, Gombe
The Kaltungo Emirate has hosted a one day coordination meeting organised by the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development in collaboration with the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency.
The meeting brought together newly engaged focal persons from emirates and Local Government Areas, alongside other key stakeholders, with the aim of strengthening coordination, community participation and the delivery of healthcare interventions across Gombe State.
Declaring the meeting open, the Mai of Kaltungo, Engineer Saleh Muhammad, urged participants to be kind, attentive and committed throughout the programme.
The royal highness also traced the history of the involvement of traditional rulers in healthcare issues in Nigeria, stressing the important role of traditional institutions in mobilising communities and supporting government efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
In his remarks, the Senior Programme Officer of the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development, Barrister Haruna Yusuf, highlighted the importance of proper childcare and providing children with nutritious food to promote their health and wellbeing.
Barrister Yusuf commended traditional rulers, under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, for their contributions towards improving the health of children, women and other members of society.
Also speaking, the State Programme Officer, Dr. Kassim Muhammad, emphasised the importance of routine immunisation in protecting children and communities from preventable diseases.
He explained that the newly engaged focal persons have an important responsibility to monitor immunisation activities and help ensure that interventions are sustained across the State.
Dr. Kassim further called for increased public awareness to dispel misconceptions about vaccines, stressing that routine immunisation is safe and essential for protecting children against preventable diseases.
He also cited cases involving children with special needs who did not receive appropriate immunisation during childhood, stressing the need for parents and caregivers to ensure that children receive recommended vaccines at the appropriate time.
Contributing, the Gombe State Immunisation Officer with the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Abdulkarim Muhammad Aliyu, emphasised the importance of vaccination, particularly polio vaccination, in protecting children across the state.
The Immunisation Officer highlighted ongoing efforts to combat polio in Gombe State, presenting relevant statistics and urging parents and caregivers to allow their children to receive vaccines as part of efforts to eradicate polio and prevent other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The meeting also featured questions and contributions from participants, with resource persons providing responses and further clarification on issues relating to immunisation, child nutrition, community engagement and healthcare delivery.
The programme is expected to strengthen collaboration between traditional institutions, government health agencies, community stakeholders and newly engaged focal persons in improving healthcare outcomes across Gombe State.
About The Author
