The Nasarawa State Government, North Central Nigeria, has partnered with the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, to commence the testing and treatment of residents with viral Hepatitis B and C virus across the 13 local government areas of the state.
This was disclosed by the acting governor of the state, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, on Friday at the flag-off of the Viral Hepatitis Free Village Campaign tagged ‘Putting Nasarawa State on the Track of Viral Hepatitis Elimination By 2030’, in Doma LGA.
He explained that the partnership with the hospital also included a medical outreach to provide comprehensive healthcare services in rural communities across the state. Akabe noted that the state government decided to begin the health programs in Doma because the LGA had over the years recorded high cases of viral hepatitis, which had claimed so many lives.
While commending doctors from the Federal Medical Centre in the Keffi LGA of the state for partnering with the state to fight common diseases affecting the people, the acting governor reiterated the state government’s commitment to eliminate hepatitis from the state by 2030. He, therefore, appealed to all the residents to make themselves available for hepatitis testing in government healthcare facilities across the 13 LGAs of the state and avoid the use of unsterilised sharp objects, sharing of needles/syringes, and the transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products. “Hepatitis has been killing our people slowly and steadily. The prevalence of hepatitis in Doma LGA is high, which is why we decided to flag off this program here today. I, therefore, urge all the residents to give the needed support to the medical teams as they move across the state for the medical outreach program”, Akabe appealed.
The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Dr Yahaya Adamu, who was represented by Dr Ahmed Kana, assured of the state government’s commitment to the hospital and to improve the well-being of all residents. Earlier in his welcome address, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Gaza Gwamna, lauded the efforts of the federal government and other partners who had been supporting the state in tackling the virus and other deadly diseases in recent times.
He said the medical outreach was targeted at 6,000 persons in each of the 13 LGA’s, adding that the doctors and other medical teams have been fully equipped to carry out the programme without any hitches. Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Andoma of Doma, HRH Aliyu Ogah expressed his gratitude to the state government and doctors from the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, for the outreach, saying he was optimistic that it would go a long way to improve the health and general well-being of his people.
In March 2023, the Nasarawa State Government set aside the sum of N100m to tackle the spread of the deadly Hepatitis Virus across the 13 LGA’s of the state.
