The society said diarrhoea leads to estimated annual death of 201,368 under-5 children while pneumonia claims the lives of 177,212 children annually.
This was disclosed during a one-day policy dialogue with key stakeholders in the health sector organised by the PSN.
PSN is the implementing Civil Society Organisation for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health focused on getting the government of Nigeria and relevant stakeholders to improve health outcomes through the appropriate treatment of childhood killer diseases.
Briefing newsmen shortly after the meeting, the Programme Director of PSN, Remi Adeseun, decried poor level of awareness on the treatment of pneumonia, saying the essence of the meeting was to deliberate on how the child killer diseases, particularly pneumonia and diarrhea, can be reduced through the appropriate treatment with the help of the federal government.
He urged the state government to create a specific project line that will make funds available for the purchase of Amoxicillin dispersible tablets as agreed at United Nations Commission on live saving commodities. He also urged the state government to train first line heath workers that will administer the live saving commodities at the grassroots.
The Director of Public Health, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Bitrus Markus, described the advocacy as timely, saying Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i has selected 255 health facilities as world treatment centres across the wards.
