Michael Olugbode
28 September 2007
Maiduguri — United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has moved to stem the spread of HIV/Aids in Borno State, with the training of 320 teachers in 80 pilot schools on how to control its spread among pupils in the state's secondary schools.
The organisation, in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Health, conducted a three-week programme where midwives were taught life-saving skills, to enable them cope with obstetric emergencies and reduce maternal death.
According to the Borno State Project Director, Advocacy and Gender Component of the UNFPA, Bata Balami, the training is centered at meeting the universal target of reducing maternal mortality by 75 per cent by year 2015, adding that 12 participants were drawn from the state Specialist Hospital, School of Midwifery and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), to the three weeks' train-the-trainers scheme.
Balami said the midwives were later deployed to all local government areas to impact the knowledge gained on the colleagues. He said medical equipment such as delivery and hospital beds, bed side lockers, drip stands, examination couch, ward screen, bowl stand, stethoscopes, and theatre equipments were donated to selected general hospitals in the state.On the Family Life HIV/Aids component where 320 teachers were trained on its curriculum, Balami said the project director and coordinator was sponsored to Lagos, to understudy the state's implementation of this programme, which is rated as the best in the country.
He said to reduce apathy towards some health-related issues in the state, some religious and community leaders were sensitised on issues of reproductive rights, health and international conventions on women.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
