NGO Donates Machines, Consumables to Gombe Health Centres

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Maristopes Nigeria, has donated autoclave machines to some selected primary and secondary health facilities in Gombe state.

Mrs Elizabeth Atondo, Regional Manager North East of the organisation, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Saturday.
An autoclave machine is used to sterilize surgical equipment, laboratory instruments, pharmaceutical items and other materials.
She said the gesture was to reduce the rate of infection and transmission of diseases particularly among women who subscribe to family planing.

Atondo said apart from the autoclave, Insertion kits, one of the modern methods of contraception as well as surgical blades, bleach and hand gloves were distributed to the selected facilities.
She also said they have trained 37 Community Health Extension Workers (CHEW) for optimum service towards achieving the Universal Sexual and Reproductive health and right in accordance with the SDG 3.7 and 5.6.

According to her, the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) of Gombe is 5.6 per cent and their target is to reach 15 per cent by 2020.
She said this can be achieved through sensitisation of people on the benefits of family planning.
“We built their capacity because we want them to educate people to access family planing service for healthy society.

“We also want male involvement since they are the decision makers in the household,” she explained.
She said their major challenge was frequent transfers of staff who were trained on family planing service.
Atondo appealed to stakeholders, particularly the religious and traditional leaders, to sensitize their people on the need for family planing.

April 27, 2019