‘USAID/TSHIP saves 38,000 women in Bauchi’

A NON-GOVERNMENTAL Organisation (NGO) known as Targeted States High Impact (TSHIP), a USAID-sponsored project, says it has saved over 38,000 lives of women and children in Bauchi during child-birth through its health care project in the state for the last five years.

This was disclosed by the TSHIP Chief of Party, Dr. Nosa Orobaton while speaking with newsmen at the end of project dissemination meeting held at Zaranda Hotel yesterday in Bauchi.

The project served as technical lead on a number of efforts, including state policies on human resources for health, ward minimum health care packages, pre-service education, state midwifery and health management information systems.

USAIDTSHIP helped the states develop their five-year strategic health plans, which are the framework for comprehensive health care delivery and it supported the Bauchi State government to set up the Drugs and Medical Consumables Management Agency (DMMA).

Orobaton also disclosed that maternal mortality ration in the North-East stands at 43 out of every 100,000 life-births.

He said: “What we have observed in the work we have done through USAID/TSHIP specifically in relation to use of misoprostol, which is three tablets intervention that is ingested by the mother after the baby has been delivered, is that there is dramatic re-education in maternal mortality in Bauchi State.

“In order for maternal mortality to really come down in Bauchi to the minimum, we must have coverage that approximates 80 per cent for the tablet and we also need to encourage mothers to work towards having babies in the health facility. These are the steps that need to be taken. Misaorostol has started very well; it needs to go higher to achieve its target impact.

On the challenges encountered during the project, according Orobaton, was inadequate oxygen which prevents infection on newborn babies’ cords.

He said: “The percent of new born who have access to oxygen which is to prevent infection on new born cord is somewhere around over 20 per cent and that number should be 100 per cent while the no of women who have access to prevent bleeding after child birth is also close to 20 per cent and it should be 100 percent so we need to remain focus on how to go to scale to improve on our intervention on mothers and children.

He commended the Bauchi State government for partnering with USAID through the TSHIP project to achieve its success.

In his address, the Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar who was represented by his deputy, Nuhu Gidado, expressed the commitment of the APC administration to provide free health care services to mothers and under 5 children.

Abubakar also expressed the determination of his administration to further collaborate with USAID and other developmental partners in rendering good health care services to the people.

Speaking further, the Emir of Dass Alhaji Bilyaminu othman said that TSHIP has achieve a lot in Bauchi in the area of maternal mortality and lives saving in the state.

He said despite the improvement in the health sector, “there are still gaps that need to be fill, health facilities have being over stretch and there is high demand of service”.

Speaker Bauchi State House of Assembly Kawuwa Shehu Damina assured all donor agencies in the state of increase in budgetary allocation to health.

He said the Assembly would also formulate laws that will make it easy for the government to partners with donor agencies, especially non-governmental organisations, in the area.

In her remarks, wife of Bauchi State governor, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Abubakar, appreciated the efforts of TSHIP in confronting numerous illness and issues relating to women and children before birth and after birth.

She said in every society, women and children deserve support and special care for better environment.