By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
In a renewed effort to halt under five children mortality rate in Bauchi State, Health reporters have pledged to support the State in carrying out sustained awareness campaign, targeting communities for increased child health care uptake.
The media practitioners further resolved to apply innovative approach towards achieving the awareness campaign using the various media channels to disseminate key health messages to their target audiences.
These commitments were part of the outcomes of a one day media dialogue organized by UNICEF Bauchi Field office (BFO) aimed at equipping health reporters with the current trend in under five mortality rates in Bauchi State.
The Journalists disclosed that part their awareness campaign strategies would focus on community engagement through dialogue, with a view to sharing key information on child healthcare promotion aimed at galvanizing caregivers to access healthcare services in their respective primary healthcare facilities within their communities.
Another area of advocacy and awareness creation identified by the health reporters during the dialogue was to monitor whether or not, the existence of the One Main PCH per ward has the minimum requirement to provide 24 hours effective services to clients.
According to the participants, by carrying out such routine activities, it will bring Government attention on the need to maintain the minimum WHO standard of the one main PHC per ward to provide 24 hours service in Bauchi State.
Other areas the journalists agreed to contribute in mitigating children deaths in Bauchi State was to develop jingles, talk shows and human interests story angles that would further boost child health outcomes.
While giving hints on some of the areas the health reporters should pay attention in their awareness creation activities, Health officer of UNICEF Bauchi Field office, Oluseyi Olosunde identified 3 integrated priority interventions that health reporters should focus on.
The 3 priority areas according to Olosunde include:
– [ ] Child health package that includes: Uptake in routine immunization, polio eradication and appropriate treatment of the three most common child killer diseases which is, Malaria, Diarrhea and Pneumonia.
– [ ] Nutrition interventions that focuses on appropriate complimentary infant and young child feeding, Vitamin A supplementation, Deworming and use of Micronutrients powder, and
– [ ] Maternal and newborn package that tends to emphasize on good care during and after pregnancy, antenatal care (at least 4 visits), prevention of mother~to-child transmission of HIV, and neonatal/postnatal care visits to health facilities.
According to the just released National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS 2023/24) Neonatal deaths in Bauchi State has increased from 38 per 1000 live births in 2018 to 48, while infant deaths which was 69 per 1000 live birth in 2018 is now 77. The only positive shift is in the Under Five deaths where, in 2018 it was 147 and has now gone down to 125 which, according to experts, is still not significant considering the huge investments made in the primary health care sector of the state.
Speaking shortly before the commencement of the media dialogue, UNICEF BFO Communication officer, Opeyemi Olagunju said that the primary goal of the media dialogue was to trigger meaningful discussions about child mortality in Bauchi State with a view to raising awareness on the root causes, its socioeconomic and health impacts, and the urgent need for collective action from the media practitioners and State actors.
The media engagement attracted health reporters and officials of agencies from Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba States.