September 12, (THEWILL) – The wife of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Patience Eno, has advocated synergy between non-governmental organisations, Academia, governments and other relevant stakeholders in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the State and the country in general.
She stated this during the first NTDs Stakeholders’ Summit tagged “Enhancing Domestic Resource Mobilizations Towards Sustaining the Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Akwa Ibom State,” at the weekend.
Speaking at the event, which was organised by the State Ministry of Health, in partnership with Helen Keller International, the First Lady reasoned that such synergy was a sure way to combating the prevalence of Neglected Tropical Diseases in society.
Eno, who was the special guest at the event, encouraged mothers to take seriously the de-worming of their children and assured the organisers of the event of her constant support whenever the need arose.
“Our collective knowledge and expertise will be vital in shaping a future where these diseases no longer pose significant threats to human life and well-being.
“Let us foster an environment of open-mindedness, empathy and knowledge sharing, recognising the importance of multidisciplinary approaches and the involvement of various stakeholders, including government, academia, NGOs, and the private sector so that significant strides can be recorded in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases,” she noted.
While thanking the organisers of the event for putting the summit together, Pastor Patience Eno expressed confidence that the meeting would prompt stakeholders to take meaningful measures to stop the spread of NTDs.
Earlier in his address, the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Augustine Umoh, stated that the summit is apt to underscore the need to raise awareness and draw greater attention towards NTDs, noting that the diseases are hardly heard about but sadly, they are prevalent and pose serious health challenges in the society.
Prof. Umoh said the Ministry of Health, in partnership with Helen Keller International, has recorded over 314 free surgeries across the three Senatorial Districts in the State in the last 3 years while assuring of the Government’s continuous commitment to the well-being of Akwa Ibom people. He, however, called for partnership from stakeholders from all sectors towards financing and the elimination of these NTDs in the State.
Akwa Ibom State Coordinator, NTDs Control and Elimination Programme, Dr. Aniekeme Uwah, said the essence of the Summit was to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to “take a cursory look at how solutions could be proffered to the myriads of challenges confronting the implementation of control and elimination strategies through the identification of gaps, areas of partnership and opportunities for domestic resource mobilization (DRM) to help the most vulnerable population affected by NTDs, which has led to stigmatisation, untold hardship and suffering.”
Dr. Uwah explained that the resolutions reached at the end of the Summit will aid the achievement of the goals of the economic blueprint of the State Government as contained in the Arise Agenda, especially poverty reduction, improved standard of living and highly educated healthy and skilled populace.
He expressed appreciation to the Governor’s Wife for honouring the invitation in person and called on stakeholders to partner with the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health towards meeting the global 2030 target of 90% reduction in the number of people required for treatment for Neglected Tropical Diseases and elimination.
The Head of Programmes, Helen Keller International, Mohammed Aliyu, in a goodwill message, said they are present in 12 states in Nigeria with huge investments in curbing NTDs in the country and also pledged his organisation’s commitment to sponsoring more surgical operations.
Highpoint of the event was the conferment of Grand Ambassador of NTDs on the Governor’s wife by the Federal Ministry of Health, as well as testimonies by beneficiaries of various medical interventions carried out by the NTDs team in Akwa Ibom State.
About the Author
