EKSG applauds Helen Keller International team in Ekiti

By Femi Martins

Ekiti State governor, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has applauded Helen Keller International team in Ekiti for promoting healthy living among children in the State in the last one year. 

The governor made this known during the Closeout Meeting on Vitamin A Supplementation Project of the team in Ekiti held at Bon Hotel Ado Ekiti recently. 

The governor who was represented by the Special Adviser on Budget,Economic Planning and Performance Management,Mr Niyi Adebayo said though the government has just clocked 100days in office but the impact of the International NGO is evident in the area of Vitamin A Supplementation in May/June and November/December 2022 during the bi-annual Maternal,Newborn and Child's Health Week(MNCHW)in Ekiti. 

The governor commended the organisation for partnering with the state in collaboration with Ministry of Health and Ekiti State Primary Health Care Development Agency during the two rounds of deworming campaigns in which the coverage of Vitamin A Supplementation in the State rose from 52% to 95% while deworming rose from 45% to 69%

 The governor apologised for not being able to release the counterpart fund adequately due to paucity of fund, promising to support the Organisation in its subsequent partnership. 

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Oyebanji Filani said, the team were pleasant and easy to work with as they were all out to support the State government in reducing Maternal and child mortality rate as part of government efforts to delivering its effective Health care services  agenda.

The Commissioner, who was represented by the Executive Secretary,Ekiti State Primary Health Care Development Agency,Dr Ayodele Seluwa said, the organisation's impact was greatly felt by the people and government of Ekiti State.. 

Responding, the Country Director of the NGO, Pharmacist, Philomena Orji said the Closeout became necessary due to directive from above to move to other states that have not benefitted in such a project, saying that her team has attained great achievement in the State within the last one year. 

Taking the gathering through some of the achievements recorded by the organisation since they came to support MNCHW in January 2022,the NGO's Nutrition Program Officer in Ekiti,Mr Taiwo Aladesanmi said 1,308,608 children of 6-59months were given Vitamin A Supplements,855,056 children of 12-59 months were dewormed with Albendazole tablets while 6,993 health personnel were trained.

 He added that 75 State Team personnel, 300 LGA team personnel and 5,202 health workers and adhoc, including 416 Town announcers were engaged during the program. 

There were goodwill messages from the representatives  of major partners such as World Health Organisation (W.H.O) UNICEF and National Primary Health Care Development Agency NPHCDA.