Taraba Records Major Health Gains as Skilled Births Reach 74.5%

JALINGO — Taraba State has recorded major gains in primary healthcare, reducing the percentage of zero-dose children from 24 per cent to four per cent while increasing skilled birth attendance from 54.7 per cent to 74.5 per cent.

The Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency (TSPHCDA) disclosed the development, describing the figures as evidence of improved access to maternal and child healthcare services.

Speaking at a media briefing in Jalingo, the agency’s Executive Secretary, Dr Tukura Nuhu, said Taraba had also achieved the highest performance among Nigerian states in the HPV and Measles-Rubella vaccination campaigns.

Nuhu linked the achievements to reforms and investments in the state’s primary healthcare system.

He said the government had recruited 450 health personnel and 336 emergency ambulance staff, while approval had also been given for the engagement of 480 community-based health workers.

He further disclosed that 113 primary healthcare facilities across all wards had been revitalised through the IMPACT project.

According to him, the NPHCDA had upgraded three regional healthcare centres, while 13 healthcare facilities had benefited from interventions supported by the Global Fund and UNICEF.

However, the agency’s head cautioned that maintaining the progress would require urgent action to resolve financial and operational difficulties.

Among the challenges he identified were inadequate counterpart funding, poor budget releases, lack of permanent office accommodation and unpaid electricity bills at the state cold stores.

Nuhu emphasised that timely release of funds and improved logistics would be crucial to sustaining the healthcare gains achieved by the state.

He warned that failure to resolve the challenges could undermine the progress already made and potentially affect the state’s chances of receiving further assistance from donor agencies.