NAN-HG-13
USAID
By Emmanuel Antswen
Makurdi, Jan. 19, 2017 (NAN) The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Thursday decried the poor state of facilities at the Central Health Store in Benue, saying it was not conducive to house health commodities.
The USAID Team Leader, Dr Uwem Inyang, made the assertion during a courtesy visit to Gov. Samuel Ortom at the Benue People’s House, in Makurdi.
The Central Store is where all government health commodities are stocked before onward distribution to hospitals in the state.
Inyang urged the state government to put the store in an acceptable shape to enable them to bring new commodities to the state.
“The agency has supported 655 public health facilities out of 888 with malaria commodities in the state.
“We intend to reach all the health centres in the state following new partnership with the state government.
“I appeal to the state government to stop the registration charges for children below the ages of five and pregnant women.
“The charges are stopping many people from accessing the free drugs,’’ he said.
Inyang commended the state government for providing a place to store mosquito nets which would be distributed to people in the state and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in North-East.
He said USAID was supporting only 11 states with malaria commodities, adding that Benue was the first state to approach them for partnership.
In his remarks, the governor commended USAID for adding value to the lives of people in the state.
He described malaria as a major killer disease in the country, saying that many people were yet to know the extent of damage it could cause to human body.
According to him, the state government will partner with the agency to ensure that malaria is totally eradicated in the state.
Ortom also thanked the agency for the donating some vehicles to the State Primary Healthcare Board. (NAN)
AEB/VIV/GOK
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Edited by Vivian Ihechu/Olagoke Olatoye