Health Survey: NPC seeks stakeholders’ support in Gombe
The National Population Commission (NPC) has called for the support of residents of Gombe State and stakeholders in the on-going Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).
Mr Isa Kwarra, the executive chairman of the NPC made the call in Gombe on Wednesday while inaugurating the commencement of the main fieldworks of the 2023/2024 NDHS in the state.
Kwarra, represented by Mr Jude Maigari, the state director, NPC, Gombe State office said the success of the survey was a shared responsibility for all stakeholders, hence the need for them to support the exercise.
He said because the nature of the exercise required a lot of patience and accuracy, it had become imperative to get the buy-in of grassroots stakeholders in the state to help achieve the essence of the survey.
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“I want to use this medium to appeal to traditional, religious and community leaders to support the NDHS by encouraging residents to come out and partake patiently in the areas that the exercise will take place.
“The survey is being done across the country, hence the appeal to ensure that Gombe State’s exercise comes out successful in line with the essence of the survey,” he said.
Speaking on the essence of the survey, Kwarra explained that the primary objective of the survey was to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators.
He said that the survey would be conducted in selected communities across the 11 Local Government Areas of the state.
The executive chairman assured Nigerians that the exercise would be conducted accurately to ensure quality of data that would meet the aspirations of all stakeholders.
“As we all know, the data we collect and analyse will not merely be numerical values; they will represent the health aspirations and challenges of our communities.
“As such, each one of us here, from researchers to administrators and policy makers, holds a critical role in ensuring the success of this survey.
“As we officially launch the 2023-24 NDHS, let’s bear in mind that the impact of our work transcends statistics.
“It extends to the lives of every individual, every family and every community in Nigeria,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Adeleke Balogun, the Gombe State coordinator, 2023 NDHS, Federal Ministry of Health said the exercise would help enhance interventions that would improve the health sector and the wellbeing of citizens.
Balogun said the NDHS would provide invaluable insights into healthcare needs that would enable government to allocate resources, invest in initiatives that promoted health and well-being of Nigerians.
He said that the NDHS aimed to collect information on fertility, awareness and use of family planning methods, nutritional status of women and children, maternal and child health, as well as adult and childhood mortality.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the last NDHS was held in 2018, the sixth conducted in Nigeria, following those implemented in 1990, 1999, 2003, 2008, and 2013.
