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From Olanrewaju Lawal Birnin Kebbi
The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) known as Doctors Without Borders, has disclosed that 300,000 malnourished children have been treated in the seven states of Northern Nigeria within a year.
Huggins Madondo, Project Coordinator,Kebbi State stated this while briefing newsmen on the success story of the International Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) in the beneficiaries states.
It could be recalled that the Organization are working in Sokoto, Kebbi,Kano,Bauchi,Katsina,Jigawa and Zamfara with free medical treatment services to malnourished children.
Madondo who appreciated the support of the Kebbi government and other states for using their facilities, Staffs of the Ministry of Health who are experienced in malnutrition,said that they would always preferred to handing over to strong stakeholders to continue rendering the services for sustainance.
While breaking down their efforts,he disclosed that in Kebbi state, the MSF have 250 beds in Mayama as well as 40 beds at the Sir Yahyah Memorial hospital Birnin Kebbi stressed that they have a total of 400 beds in the state which they are using to treat malnourished children.
According to him, “from January this year, in Kebbi we have managed 6,434 patients for ITFC. From January til date,we have managed 1,885 patients. In addition to this ,since last year from January to December last year we have managed to treat 44,447, these are the patients we treated during the peak from January to December.. All these are on malnutrition.
“However, let also say here that MSF are in 7 states where we are operating. We are Borno,Bauchi,Kano,Kebbi,Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara. Going by the data for last year,we managed 300,000 patients and 75,000 were in ITFC and 250,000 were treated in OPD. Kebbi still ranked among the state with high number of malnourished children “, he said.
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He noted that some of the challenges they are facing including infiltration of malnourished children from neighbouring counties such as Benin Republic while they are in Kebbi, as well as security challenge, difficulty in terrain and transportation.
Madondo noted that when a child was undergoing treatment at their clinic,and fled to the town where he or she bath with dirty water or drank unhygienic water,it would affect the treatment.
He said: “all these factors are determined how the patients would do well. So these are few of the challenges we are facing since I arrived the state. When you looked at the past experiences,we also have challenges that do with the access to the road and how to reach the patients. Most of the patients we do received are also from Benin Republic and we don’t discriminate because we are dealing with human being and the Services are free”.
He noted that the organization is not getting funding from any institutions which enable them to render free services to any human being across the world without any interference.
Madondo said,private individuals are behind funding of the MSF and they always go to where their services are needed.
He added that they do donate boreholes to any community which lack portable water so that the treated children would have access to hygienic water after been discharged from their clinic.
