WHO adopts surveillance system to detect, prevent disease outbreaks
By Tada JUTHA, Maiduguri
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is to re-engineer the surveillance system to detect and prevent outbreaks of diseases in the Northeast.
The surveillance are to be conducted in the border areas of Niger, Chad and Cameroon, including the Lake Chad region.
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While unfolding the new system yesterday (Monday) in Maiduguri at a joint operations review four-day meeting, WHO’s representative, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo disclosed: “In Borno State; the UN health agency early warning alert and response system; remain the early real time detection of diseases that facilitated our sponsorship.”
He said since the initial emergency operations in August, 2016; WHO and other partners have been supporting primary detection, verification and monitoring of outbreaks of diseases.
According to him, an effective coordination mechanism is now being sought using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target for universal health coverage; as a collective outcome.
He assured that WHO will provide a framework for all the stakeholders’ engagement and collaborate and account through the seven accelerators, including the revitalization of primary healthcare as a priority of State Governments.
“We’re going to put in measures for sustainable health financing and innovation,” he declared, stating that the three accelerators are relevant to the joint operation review meeting on health emergencies in the Northeast.
While highlighting the considerations at the meeting, he said: “They include sustainable financing,” warning that there are decreasing trends in funding opportunities.
He noted that this underlines the sustainable nature of the approach being used so far, particularly the protracted crisis in the two regions.
He urged the participants to start thinking about WHO’s refinancing; as Nigeria is in the process of launching a new National Development Plan.
Besides, he added: “It’s an opportunity for us to push for health as an enabler rather than just a consumption domain,” noting that it is also important WHO change the narrative.
He said that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity for that; as the whole world has come to its knees with the economy being suffered with prolonged recession.
The representative also lamented that COVID-19 is more than a health crisis; as it is affecting societies and the global economies,
According to him, the pandemic increases poverty, inequality at the global scales, including the distribution of vaccines.
Responding, the Commissioner of Health, Juliana Bitrus said that WHO continues to play a role in the state; as one of the lead technical health partners to strengthen the health system in the Northeast.
She lamented that many health workers were displaced along with the destruction of healthcare facilities with the restriction of movements and access to basic healthcare.
She noted that inaccessibility to healthcare services and other basic needs of life have increased the population of the vulnerable in camps and host communities.
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On improving the healthcare delivery system, she called on the UN agency to support the state by enhancing healthcare services through the revitalization of Primary Healthcare Centres.
Other support from WHO, include the provision of technical support in the integration of primary health centres and reform of the human resources for health workers to be competitive.
