Health Stakeholders Call For Strengthening Of Community Referral Systems

To curtail the outbreak of diseases and pandemics in the country, stakeholders in the health sector have called for the strengthening of community ownership and referral systems.

At a National Advocacy-focused media meeting, the National Coordinator, Civil Society for Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN, Mr. Ayo Ipinmoye said there was a need to engage with community stakeholders and strengthen data gathering to control disease outbreaks.

Mr. Ipinmoye who highlighted the difference between outbreaks, which is a sudden increase in the number of people with the same infection, and Epidermic an outbreak that becomes widespread in a large area, said a Pandemic is an epidemic that spreads across a large region.

He said Epidermic preparedness constitutes all the activities that have to be undertaken from the national to the health facility levels to be ready to respond effectively to disease outbreaks.

Dr. Ayo Ipinmoye therefore called for the empowerment of the communities to understand the risks and be able to mitigate by themselves without waiting on the government.

The Acting Executive Secretary, Country Coordinating Mechanisms, CCM Nigeria, Tajudeen Ibrahim called for laboratory system strengthening at the grassroots.

He said that Nigeria’s, current capacity with twenty-two state pharma-grade warehouses is currently being upgraded.

”With that, we are sure adverse reactions will reduce significantly. adulterated drugs will be brought to a minimum.’‘‘Case management aspects of our intervention, infection prevention and control are something that the grant has strengthened,” he added.

On his part, the National Coordinator, Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) , Ibrahim Abdulkadir, stressed the need for all stakeholders to come together and respond to future pandemics.