By Ann Ngbea
ActionAid Nigeria, in partnership with First Step Action for Children Initiative, with funding from start fund has donated Personal Protective Equipment worth over N2.5 million to two general hospitals in Benue State, as part of its COVID-19 second wave interventions.
The Voice had earlier reported that the organisation donated cash relief worth N22.5 million to women in four Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps to cushion the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the people.
Hospitals that benefited from the intervention were General Hospital, North-Bank in Makurdi and General Hospital, Gbajimba in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
Items donated by the organisation include; 300 packs of facemasks, 200 packs of hand gloves, six inferred thermometers and two packs of finger batteries, in order to increase access to essential health services especially for women and girls.
Presenting the items to the hospitals recently, Manager Humanitarian and Resilience, ActionAid Nigeria, Mr. David Habba, said the donation was part of the organisation’s effort to support the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Mr Habba further stated that it was also targeted at addressing the current outbreak of cholera in the state as it targets the most vulnerable population, especially persons displaced by conflicts and living in IDPs camps as well as host communities.
“This contribution is to encourage the war and fight against COVID-19 pandemic as these general hospitals are currently taking care of IDPs since most of them do not have the funds to be able to afford PPEs. ”We are reaching out to health facilities that are saddled with the responsibilities of taking care of the IDPs. This would increase access to essential health services, especially for women and girls who have been displaced and are also currently facing the challenges of COVID-19,” Mr Habba said.
He therefore, called on the benefiting hospitals to put into good use, the items donated, to ensure that people who cannot afford the items benefit from the humanitarian intervention.
Receiving the items, the state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Joseph Ngbea, represented by the Principal Special Assistant to the Governor on Health Planning, David Tsevende, appreciated the organisation for the assistance. He said that the state government has put in place measures aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19 and was responding promptly to current outbreak of cholera in the state.
