Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has supported National Humanitarian Fund (NHF) to treat 100 displaced persons in camps and host communities of Borno state. The referred treated patients; were identified from Maiduguri Metropolitan, Gwoza, and Monguno Local Government Areas. This was disclosed Thursday in WHO’s weekly report released to journalists in Maiduguri, the state capital. “WHO-NHF is one of the funding mechanisms that aims at providing essential secondary and tertiary healthcare services to conflict affected people in Borno, by strengthening referral mechanisms and medical evacuation of patients/persons, injured from primary to secondary level of health care,” said the report. According to it; through the intervention, WHO has also paid for treatment of referred patients at various hospitals. Dr. Clement Peter, the officer in charge of global health agency; said the intervention beneficiaries; are now receiving critically needed secondary care promptly; to reduce excess morbidity and mortality prevent disabilities. He said this will also contribute to the overall health and well being of IDPs affected by the current conflict and displacement in northeast. Bukar Mustapha, a 60-year old appendix patient; has been living with infection of the appendix for the past four years in Teachers’ village IDP. “I had always catered for myself and family despite my health challenges until I became internally displaced,” he lamented. Continuing, he added: “As an IDP for over four years, to wish for anything beyond daily bread is like asking for the impossible. “It still sounds like a dream that I was picked up in an ambulance, brought to this Specialist Hospital and had an appendectomy at no cost to me.” Similarly, following an attack on his village in Gwoza Local Government Area, Mohammed Mustapha, 34, had lived with a chronic leg ulcer in Bakassi IDPs camp since February 2018. “Although, I have survived this leg ulcer for three years, my situation deteriorated since I became internally displaced, lost my job and could no longer afford to pay for my medications. “I thanked the state government and WHO for this free treatment.” Dr. Peter said that NHF is also supporting WHO in strengthening diseases surveillance and outbreak response. The fund is managed by UN-OCHA to support life-saving humanitarian recovery operations in Nigeria.
