UNICEF Reaffirms Commitment to Ensuring total Compliance to Polio vaccine in Bauchi
By Abbas Usman, Bauchi
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has amicably resolved the ongoing Polio vaccination non-compliance in the Kundum Durum community of Bauchi state.
In an interview with the Kundum Durum Polio Ward Focal Person, of Bauchi Local Government, Nuru Abdullahi, explained that, on the commencement day of the exercise, non-compliance was recorded in ten houses in the community involving thirsty Children.
The Ward Focal Person informed UNICEF support Monitoring journalists that residents of the community are embracing the Polio vaccines, saying, ,”Out of over two thousand houses visited in the community, only less than ten houses were recorded for non-compliance.”
According to him, “Even the houses where non-compliance were recorded in Gubi, was instantly resolved by the UNICEF team, led by its chief of Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique during supervision.”
He revealed that over four thousand children between the age of 0-5 have been vaccinated as at the third day of the vaccination exercise.
While Commending UNICEF and Bauchi State Government for their Collaboration to get rid of Polio in Bauchi State, Nura, acknowledged that the ward was provided with enough vaccines and working materials.
The Ward Focal Person, attributed the success recorded in the Ward during the exercise to the active role and Commitment of the traditional Rulers in the area, saying the recruitment of the ad-hoc vaccinators in the respective community in question was also the game changer.
He pointed out that “the increase in the allowances of the ad-hoc vaccinators from Twenty-six thousand naira per team to Thirty thousand Six hundred Naira by the concerned Partners has played a vital and motivating role that made the exercise easy”.Nura stated.
The Ward Head of Durum, who is the overseer of the Kundum Durum catchment area, Nasiru Musa Ahmad, while speaking to UNICEF Support journalists monitoring the vaccination application, stated that residents of the community reject the vaccines not for any cultural or religious reasons but mostly to show their grievances over the unfair distribution of incentives by the government.
He explained that “Whenever there was a distribution of palliative by the government for any reason, some individuals who were not lucky enough to benefit turned their grievances to vaccination.”
He maintained that “Unlike other places where residents totally rejected the immunizations, ours is merely a show of grievances and is always resolved whenever our representative intervene.”
He appreciated the UNICEF, World Health Organization and other Partners for their continued intervention in health-related issues, expressing their continuous loyalty to the Bauchi state Government.
