The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has donated $438,973 (N284.93 million) drugs and hospital consumables to improve maternal, neonatal and child survival in Borno and Yobe States.
The donated drugs comprise antimalarial, analgesics, antibiotics and other clinical and hospital and consumables.
According to the Fund, the drugs distribution, was to strengthen health deliveries to pregnant women, newborn and children under five.
Presenting the drugs Thursday, in Damaturu, UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Phuong Nguyen disclosed that each day of insurgency, 170 lives of children are lost from various causes of conflicts in Northeast.
“We’ll also provide an additional $0.5 million (N230 million) to support the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Primary Healthcare deliveries in the two states.
She however; lamented that women and children have paid the highest costs of the conflict during the over a decade of conflict.
Besides, she added that the ongoing conflict has reduced access to healthcare delivery services in the two state.
“But the availability of drugs and consumables at primary healthcare centres; could enable the women receive essential drugs, tests and other basic medical support of the UN agency,” she said.
She noted that women and children had paid the highest cost of the 13-year-old conflict in the region.
Reviewing the healthcare deliveries, she said: “In 2020, the lives of 170 children lost directly or indirectly each day due to the reduced access to healthcare services.
“We are laying the foundation for optimum wellbeing for thousands of children born and yet to be born.”
