The Bauchi State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a mobile health care delivery system with motorcycles to take health workers and commodities to hard-to-reach communities.

The initiative which emanated from UNICEF was funded by Global Affairs Canada to support adolescent reproductive health in the state. The initiative supported the state with 45 motorcycles to be distributed across the 20 local government areas to reach disadvantaged communities where there are no hospitals.

UNICEF said that its objective to procure the motorcycles was to reach the areas where the children and the mothers and adolescents especially cannot reach health facilities.

While speaking at the delivery of the machines on Tuesday, UNICEF’s Chief of Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique re-emphasised UNICEF’s commitment to the most vulnerable. “The most vulnerable are those at the LGAs in very remote areas facing financial barriers, facing access barriers.

“If it is not possible for them to reach us, we have to reach them. This transport is being given to all LGAs in Bauchi for reaching those children, mothers, and newborns. Immunisation is the entry point from all zero dose children.”

According to her, there are thousands of zero-dose children who have never received any vaccine in the State. She lamented that there are mothers who had never received any antenatal care, especially adolescents.

“When the mothers are very young, which is very common in Bauchi, the girls are married at a very early age, which is not good for their health and for their social development. But we need to increase the age of marriage as well as those who are already married, provide the best services for their health so they can give birth to healthy children and they can also survive.

“Maternal newborn mortality is one of the highest in Nigeria among all West African countries and especially in the Northeast,” she said.

While responding, the Commissioner of Health, Sani Dambam commended the UN agency for its consistency in advancing the welfare of women and children in the state. He expressed the state’s readiness to partner with international donors to increase the reach in healthcare delivery.