Deployment
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, March 15, 2018 (NAN) Action Against Hunger, an international non-governmental organisation, has advised the Federal Government to deploy more trained health workers to support humanitarian services for displaced persons in the North East.
Mr Yannick Pouchalan, the organisation’s Country Director, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday that the appeal became necessary because of the growing need for more health responses in the region.
He bemoaned the shortage of health workers, particularly doctors and midwives, in the newly established humanitarian operational areas.
He said that the short supply of medical personnel had limited the scope of interventions put in place for the needy.
According to him, there is the need to also provide an enabling environment for vulnerable persons to access services with improved regulations on movement.
Pouchalan, who commended the Federal Government for its sustained efforts to maintain security in the area, urged it to implement the National Policy on Food and Nutrition to sustain and scale up nutrition interventions, especially in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
He also underscored the need to develop, approve and implement a multi-sectoral Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) policy that would integrate nutrition and hygiene promotion into the humanitarian response plan.
The country director said that his organisation recognised the fact that Nigeria was dealing with a nine-year conflict, which had resulted in monumental destruction and displacement of no fewer than 1.6 million people.
He, therefore, called for more support for the communities in dire need of humanitarian services.
“We commend the Government of Nigeria for deploying the National Emergency Management Agency, State Emergency Management Agency, and the Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative to work with partners in responding to this crisis.
“We encourage them to continue investing in efforts to improve coordination. However, further support and guidance is needed from the Government of Nigeria to help the humanitarian community to overcome their challenges.
“Such challenges exist within regulatory frameworks, specifically around the importation of drugs and other critical life-saving supplies, and the lack of clarity regarding visa and registration processes,’’ he said.
Pouchalan said that the organisation would continue to implement its Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN) Programme in Yobe so as to fight malnutrition among mothers and children and facilitate long-term development solutions.
He said that the effort was targeted at scaling up nutrition services and raising awareness to improve policy and funding in Nigeria for programmes and proven solutions to prevent under-nutrition.
“This programme strengthens the capacity of the state to develop a state-specific policy on food and nutrition.
“Our WINNN project in Jigawa and Yobe states has reached 478,119 people.
“We supported the Jigawa State Government as well as Burnin Kudu, Guri and Gwiwa Local Government Areas in the state to develop policies to improve food and nutrition security which have been approved for implementation by the State Executive Council.”
Besides, Pouchalan said that the Child Development Grant Programme (CDGP) in Jigawa was targeted at providing pregnant women and women with children under the age of two with cash transfers for nutritional supplement support, along with nutritional education and counselling.
He said that the organisation was providing technical support for Jigawa State Council on Social Protection to implement the State Social Protection Policy and design a new state cash transfer programme.
Pouchalan said the Child Development Grant Programme in Jigawa had benefited 35,000 pregnant women, nursing mothers and women with children under the age of two.
NAN reports that Action Against Hunger, which has been operating in Nigeria since 2010, is a leading humanitarian organisation in the fight against hunger in the north-eastern part of the country.
The agency has been working to prevent and treat severe malnutrition, while achieving nutrition security via an integrated, holistic and multi-sectoral approach.
Since 2014, the international NGO has been responding to humanitarian crises, implementing food, security and livelihood schemes, as well as WASH and shelter interventions in Yobe and Borno. (NAN)
TAK/MOL/OOK
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Dayo Komolafe