From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) and its partners on Tuesday donated another four Ambulances Boat to the Bayelsa state government for easy access to healthcare in riverine communities.

Other items donated were one sound proof generator 30kva to the Primary Healthcare Board for smooth running of day to day activities of the board and to facilitate healthcare delivery.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony at the my government jetty Ministry of Transport, Chief of Field UNICEF Nigeria Office, Judith Leveillee said the boat means a lot more than just an ordinary boat, saying it is a means to save lives, to save God giving lives.

According to her, everyone must make sure the boats are used for the purpose of which it is intended and “I want to recognize the hard work of the health workers and the authorities. I believe the event of today coupled with the rain and lightning will inspire us to navigate the creek to take health care to the vulnerable and less privilege”.

“I was excited when I was told that I will be coming to Nigeria eight months ago because Nigeria is a hub and also giant of Africa because there are so many talented people in this country. For me the children of Nigeria deserve the best, Africa deserves the best. But in order to make this happen, we have to make sure they have access to quality health care, quality education, and quality protections. And this can only happen if the communities and the authorities work hands in hand.

“We want to thank our donors, the Global Alliance, for vaccine and Immunization, WHO and all the health workers, we want to thank the government of Bayelsa state, and the authority with which it is leadership. We have made tremendous progress”.

She said from a report available to her, that immunization from four years ago was so low. “But thanks to the engagement of everyone, we have been able to increase the immunization by 300 percent, it’s amazing. It shows that things can change, when we look back, immunization was just about 20 or 30 percent, we don’t want to go back to those days.

“Because we want to make sure if there is a future nobel prize winner from bayelsa, if there’s a future star in bayelsa they need to die because of preventable disease and we don’t want a mother to lose a child or mother to die because of complications. Is on all of us, we are all carrying a responsibility to make it happen “.

Speaking further said, it’s really great that the projects make a change but that the change needs to be sustained. Adding that it needs to be sustained by everyone’s hard work. “In the course of this project, about eight to nine hundred workers have been employed and I believe that the Bayelsa state government will be able to absolve the workforce to continue the achievements.

“It’s for the good of the children, mothers and parents in Bayelsa state. Long life for the project and all the communities and strive for prosperity. We are also handing over a generator to supply electricity to make sure that the boat house is operational. One important thing is to make sure the boats have fuel and are maintained and cared for so that they can last the longest in the future”.

“I want to thank everyone that is involved in these projects and I want to reiterate that UNICEF is committed to supporting the Bayelsa state government in all its efforts to improve the life of children and its citizens. Together we can work to better the health of our people especially in the south south, especially the population of the riverine communities, so that we ensure that no one is left behind”, she said.

Receiving the items on behalf of the state government, the Commissioner of Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe said, as a state they are extremely grateful and extremely appreciative of the partnership that is working.

Brisibe said the GAVE, UNICEF HSS MOU had made a lot of progress, saying the outcome is better because the MOU key into the state government vision of the ASSURED prosperity agenda which the “R” is basically stand for Robust Health care and the vision of the ministry is to see that they increase life expectancy of the citizens and to improve the quality of life.

According to the Health commissioner, he said it is when they work with the vision that will help increase life expectancy and to improve quality of life, saying that when you understand that no child needs to die. “Because if a child dies, it means we have not achieved any life expectancy, also a child must grow up in the best quality of health so that that child can live up to the expectations and aspirations of the parents, society and the community which the child leaves.

“For us in Bayelsa, we should be able to produce children, Men, women that are competitive in all aspects of life. Yes in most cases we have protein but that is not enough to curb malnutrition, we used to have stunted growth, big tummy with tiny legs or big head with tiny legs. You can just imagine it because these are the things that have happened to me before.

“So when we see these types of opportunities, let the child as  is growing up even if not all at this point in time do not pass through the  challenges that we pass through.That they only experience the opportunities to be stronger, brilliant and to grow up to be faster than we did. For us as a ministry it is an opportunity to express ourselves to get that done.

“For us as a state, we believe no mother or child should die of excessive complications. Public Health should not in any way cause any mortality  in our society, that is the fundamental that we work with, and for me and the ministry we are working the talk in collaboration and in support with WHO, UNICEF and every other of our partners. Today marks another milestone because the boats will serve as an emergency to evacuate those children and mothers that needed medical help quickly”.

He thanked UNICEF,GAVI on behalf of the state government for keeping to their word, for improving our health outcomes across all indications, “is it immunization, stunted growth, child mortality, is it strengthening our ability to be resilient to see that we do not lose life to public health emergencies. This partnership has worked”.

He promised the partners that the boats given to the state government will be put to effective and efficient use to save lives, to prevent mortality of the children and mothers and the boats will shorten timeline in an emergency situation.

“I want to assure you that we will maintain it, so that it will be used for the good and prosperity of Bayelsa state “.

In his brief welcome remark, the executive secretary of Bayelsa Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Appah Williams said, six ambulances boats were initially given to the state some time ago by UNICEF,GAVI HSS MOU.

He said even though the MOU has closed, the state is still receiving more and more items from the partners. The HSS MOU has really strengthened the bulk of what the state is doing. “These boats will help us in immunization outreach and other activities. It’s to support healthcare in the state and they also donated to us a 30kva generator to power the primary healthcare board, thanks to UNICEF”.

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