The Borno State government has received the donation of four ambulances which will be stationed at four local government areas of Mafa, Gwoza, Magumeri and Konduga for referral services.
The essence of the donation made by the International Rescue Committee (ICR) is to strengthen the referral system in rural communities and save the lives of critically ill patients.
The gesture is also to improve public perception about the health system and the feedback of community health workers.
A resident of Gajiram Town, Yusuf Mallam, said the poor utilisation of referral systems in the rural communities has to a large extent increased maternal mortality especially where there are roads.
He said, “There are poor communication networks in the rural communities which were caused by the destruction of telecommunication facilities by the insurgents. So, it was difficult for families to call authorities for referral services from local clinics. This is compounded by the fact that the referral services are non-existent in most areas as a result of insurgency.”
He said the revival of the referral system will go a long way towards making the healthcare system more efficient and creating public awareness about the importance of referral services.
The donation of the ambulances by the committee was part of the support grants on Response, Recovery and Resilience given by the European Union in Borno State.
Country Director, ICR, Mr Babatunde Anthony while presenting the vehicles to the state authorities in Maiduguri said. “The key component of the grant is strengthening of the referral system from primary healthcare facilities to secondary and tertiary facilities for the care of critical medical cases and obstetrics emergencies.
“To achieve this, an efficient referral system must have a functional ambulance to convey the sick to the nearest hospital for better care.”
He said health stakeholders have identified the non-availability of ambulances for referral of critical patients as a gap in the healthcare system which led to the intervention.
He said the committee had provided referral services to 331 patients from various locations to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Commissioner, Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Engineer Mustapha Gubio, who received the vehicles thanked the committee and said they will be used judiciously.
In a related development, the committee has handed over the Gwoza Maternity Wing constructed through the support of the EU to the state government.
The new facility will serve over 204,840 population of Gwoza town and 45,065 women of child bearing age expected to receive SRH services.
The committee said that the new maternity building will be fully utilized to provide quality maternal and child health service to the Gwoza community and the surrounding communities
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