The Bauchi State Government has received 45 motorcycles from Global Affairs Canada through the United Nations Children’s Fund Bauchi Field Office to strengthen immunisation and healthcare delivery services across the state.
themomentng reports that the motorcycles were distributed across the 20 Local Government Areas to enhance outreach services and improve access to healthcare delivery, especially in underserved communities statewide.
Speaking during the handover on Monday, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, said the donation aimed to improve access to immunisation and essential healthcare services.
Rafique said the intervention would help address logistics challenges and ensure vulnerable populations, particularly those in remote communities, had better access to essential healthcare services and routine immunisation programmes statewide.
“The support is part of efforts to reach ‘zero-dose’ children who have not received any vaccination, as well as women without access to antenatal care.
“If people cannot reach health facilities, then services must be taken to them, especially in remote areas,” she added while emphasising the importance of outreach in improving healthcare access.
She said that maternal and neonatal mortality remained high in the North-East, emphasising the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to reach underserved populations and improved overall health outcomes in affected communities.
Rafique added that UNICEF would continue to support initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes for women, children and adolescents through sustained partnerships and targeted healthcare interventions across the region.
Receiving the motorcycles, the Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Sani Dambam, commended the donors and described the intervention as timely and impactful for healthcare delivery improvements statewide.
Dambam said the state government had prioritised healthcare delivery and would ensure proper utilisation of the motorcycles to strengthen outreach services and improve access to essential healthcare in rural communities.
He warned beneficiaries against misuse, noting that appropriate sanctions would be applied to erring personnel to ensure accountability and effective deployment of the motorcycles for intended healthcare purposes.
Also speaking, UNICEF Health Officer, Seyi Olosunde, said the donation coincided with activities marking World Immunisation Week, highlighting the importance of vaccines in preventing diseases and promoting public health globally.
Olosunde described immunisation as an entry point for delivering integrated primary healthcare services, noting that it provided opportunities to reach children and families with other essential health interventions.
He added that the motorcycles would expand coverage of maternal, newborn and child health services, improving access for populations in hard-to-reach areas across Bauchi State through enhanced mobility for health workers.
According to him, health workers will use the motorcycles to reach remote communities, providing immunisation alongside antenatal care and adolescent health services to improve overall healthcare delivery and outcomes.
