EU, UNICEF train 1,200 youths to bridge healthcare gap in Bauchi

Not fewer than 1,200 youths volunteers called Community Oriented Resource Persons (CORPs) have been trained in Bauchi State to bridge the gap of health facilities in hard to reach settlements.

The youths were selected from 1,200 communities of their residence in treating Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM) of common childhood illnesses (Malaria, Pneumonia, and Diarrhoea disease) under a sponsored United Nations Children’s Fund programme and powered by European Union.

According to the agency, the beneficiaries have been given training and working kits for treatment of illnesses in their various remote communities. These volunteers who cover 1,200 settlements are from the settlements they cover and reside in the settlements.

UNICEF’s health team lead, Dr Emmnuel Idoko said, “They are kitted with tools and commodities necessary for easy diagnosis and treatment of children aged 2 months to under-5 years (59 months). They were also trained to refer conditions with danger signs that are beyond what they were assigned to treat.

“Health workers from the main PHC in each ward where the CORPs operate were also trained and empowered to supervise the CORPs monthly. This is also a strategy to bridge the gap of easy access to primary health care by those hard to reach communities. All treatment is free.”

He added the volunteers started working in December 2017 in those areas to create awareness and identify cases of ICCM among the children.

The CORPs, according to him have attended to over 93,000 under five-year children, and treated over 68,000 for malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia in the settlements.

Idoko explained that the goal was to significantly contribute to the reduction of maternal, new-born and child mortality and morbidity in the states towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, with the overall objective of improving the health status of women and children through a sustainable primary health care delivery system.