The Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board in collaboration with UNICEF has mobilised spouses of the 23 LGA chairmen and health educators to boost Primary Health Care service uptake.
This is in a bid to close gaps in demand generation and improve PHC services uptake which is pivotal in reduction of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in Kaduna State.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a two-day meeting on Friday in Kaduna, the UNICEF Health Specialist, Kaduna Field Office, dr Idris Baba, said that the training aimed to equip the participants with knowledge and skills to boost primary healthcare services in their respective local governments.
Mr Baba, who doubles as the Gender Focal Person, UNICEF, explained that the idea to work with the spouses of LGA chairmen was to take advantage of their position as mothers and wives who have influence over some resources and people.
He said the meeting was to pave the way on how the chairmen’s spouses would mobilise women and children to access primary health care services and ensure that children remain in school.
He stated, “One of the enablers we are looking at beyond the health sector is to ensure that children remain in school having the understanding that a child of an educated mother stands a better chance of surviving than the child of a non-educated mother. So, looking at beyond health, we are also looking at the enabling environment, including education, nutrition and other services around the local government services to ensure that we take advantage of their presence here to mobilise women for such kind of services.’’
According to him, the participants were motivated and better informed, adding that they have had prior misunderstanding of what gender was and how gender affects services.
Mr Baba, therefore, said that now that they had a better understanding of gender, the participants gave their commitment to return to the local government and become gender champions.
“They can now advocate gender mainstreaming into education, health, agriculture and social services. The idea is for them to ensure they don’t leave anybody behind,” he said.
In a remark, Acting Director, Family and Community Health Services, Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, Habiba Aliyu, said prior to the meeting, many of the LG chairmen spouses believed that PHCs only offered immunisation and antenatal services.
She, however, said through the presentations at the meeting, the spouses had realised that PHCs provided more than 13 essential services ranging from nutrition, maternal and child health, disease prevention, family planning and beyond all, delivered in an integrated manner.
Mr Aliyu urged the women to take ownership and sustain the momentum of the initiatives by educating and mobilising other women in their communities to drive awareness and encourage the uptake of available PHC services.
Earlier, the Education Officer at the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, Isah Yushau, said that “behind every successful man is a strong woman.”
He, therefore, said the influence of spouses of local government chairmen could significantly help in creating demand for health services and reducing inequities in healthcare delivery.
He explained that the meeting’s objective was to present the current health performance status of each local government area, helping participants understand where they stand, particularly in maternal and child health indicators.
Mr Yushau added that it was to foster partnerships between local healthcare workers and political leaders, especially the spouses of LG chairmen, so they could identify areas where their influence could bring about change and improve poor health indices.
He said, “The spouses of the LG chairman have proximity to leadership which places them in a unique position to advocate better maternal and child health services.”
He urged the spouses not to underestimate their influence, stressing that they hold the power to drive real change in their communities.
“As spouses of political leaders, you are uniquely positioned to support the government’s goal of improving healthcare and reducing disparities. If the local government chairmen succeed in their mandate, it is often with your support and if they fail, the blame can extend beyond them to those closer to them including you,” he said.
The Project Coordinator of Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN), Dr Zainab Muhammad-Idris, said the meeting leveraged to train the LG chairmen spouses on primary healthcare under one roof.
Ms Muhammad-Idris, who doubled as a facilitator, said the participants were trained in various healthcare services such as immunisation, nutrition, family planning, child welfare and care for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five.
She said, “It also focuses on gender mainstreaming in activities to ensure inclusive service delivery.’’
She stated that the goal was to empower them to be role models and advocates for healthcare issues, particularly for vulnerable populations, and to support their spouses in delivering effective healthcare services.
By doing so, she said the LG chairmen spouses could positively influence their communities and promote healthy behaviours.
Some of the participants, spouse of Soba LGA chairman, Halima Balarabe and that of Jaba LGA, Deborah John, stated their commitment to support healthcare initiatives and advocate vulnerable populations in their respective local governments, leveraging their positions for positive change.
