By Sadiq Abubakar
Maiduguri
In response to the critical health needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno state, the World Health Organisation (WHO), through the Ministry of Health, has delivered emergency medical supplies to Mafa and Dikwa IDPs camps. In light of the humanitarian situation in Borno and other states in the North-east, WHO is appealing for $13.5 million to support health interventions until the end of 2016 out of which $2 million had been received, leaving a funding gap of 82%.
The medical supplies were in form of Interagency Emergency Health Kit with enough drugs and medical supplies to treat 15,000 people for three month.
Malaria and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) kits were also provided.
Our correspondent gathered that the supplies would be distributed to the only existing health facility in each camp and to mobile teams.
Receiving the items on behalf of Borno state government, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Abubakar Hassan, expressed his appreciation to the WHO for providing the much-needed medical supplies to Mafa and Dikwa camps following an assessment last week that showed widespread shortage of drugs.
“Many of the IDPs health facilities in the state are in need of such assistance and WHO’s assistance has, therefore, come in at the right time,” he said.
The selection of the two camps, Blueprint learnt, was as a result of the UN joint assessment mission to Mafa and Dikwa which showed malaria and acute respiratory tract infections rates to be high at IDPs camps.