Taraba begins vaccination of children against polio

FMC launches free medicare programme
Taraba state government is insisting that migrants into the state especially those coming from states affected by the insurgency should, as a matter of urgency, make their children available for vaccination against polio.

This will help ensure that there would be no further outbreak of the disease in the state.

Speaking during the second round of polio campaign, in Jalingo, the state capital, yesterday, the Commissioner for Health, Innocent Vakkai, said the state government “has been reliably informed that most cases of refusal of vaccines are found among people that migrated to our state, especially those affected by insurgency crisis.’’

Stressing the commitment of the state government to protect all children that are under five years in the state not only from polio virus but from other childhood killer diseases , he called on religious leaders , political and traditional leaders to join “ hands with the state governor and support the fight against polio and other children killer diseases.”

He also called on the Council Caretaker Committee chairmen and their councilors to assist by ensuring that the campaign succeeds in their respective local government areas by attending all meetings related to the exercise.

Embarking on such measure, the commissioner believed would go a long way to “ helping in resolving challenges that are associated with people refusing to receive the vaccines in our communities.”

Earlier, the Acting State Coordinator of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Jerry Pantuvo, urged the state government to collaborate with the State House of Assembly to promulgating a law making it illegal to refuse vaccine except on a medical grounds.

Pantuvo, who also observed that insecurity was another obstacle to the exercise, wants the state government to go put in place relevant security measures that would enable health workers gain access to all the communities.

In a related development, hundreds have besiege the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Umuahia, Abia State to benefit from the recently introduced free medical services to the poor tagged “Presidential Rapid Results Initiative Programme.”

The FMC Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Chuku Abali commended the Federal Government for embarking on the programme, which would be effected in other Federal Government hospitals across the country, would feature 100 hernia surgeries, 20 myomectomies/hysterectomies and 20 refractions with eye glasses.

The Medical Director said in implementing the programme, his hospital works in line with the template provided by the Federal Ministry of Health, adding that some of the hospital wards have been designated for the programme.

“We are fully ready and have taken off the program’s implementation and have deployed three doctors to man each of the specified ailments in which they are specialists.’’