Niger State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening primary healthcare delivery in a bid to achieve universal health coverage.
This assurance came from the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare at the close-out ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UNICEF and the state government.
For years, Niger State has struggled with routine immunisation coverage.
According to UNICEF, only 39 percent of eligible children in the state received the Pentavalent 3 vaccine in 2020—leaving over 150,000 children unimmunized.
Challenges such as the high cost of training programs, the continuous retirement of skilled healthcare workers, and limited personnel have hindered efforts to improve service delivery.
In February 2022, UNICEF and GAVI signed an MoU with the Niger State Government to strengthen vaccination programs and establish a more sustainable primary healthcare system.
Three years later, stakeholders say the partnership has yielded positive results reducing the number of unvaccinated children from 79,000 to zero.
As the MoU officially ends, discussions at the closing ceremony focused on sustaining these gains and charting the way forward.
While the partnership has made significant strides, stakeholders emphasise the need for continued investment in primary healthcare to maintain progress and achieve universal health coverage in Niger State.
