The International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC says approximately 800,000 children under the age of 5 are in desperate need of basic health care in Adamawa state.
ICRC’s Head of Delegation in Nigeria, Mr Yann Bonzo, stated that the state was one of 3 in the Northeast affected by the ongoing armed conflict, which he added has a devastating effect on the region’s healthcare sector.
Mr Bonzo was speaking during the presentation of a mobile application called ALMANACH Algorithms for the Management of Acute Childhood Illnesses, to the Adamawa State Government.
The project is a collaboration between the ICRC, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute SWISS TPH, and the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, and it is now being used by 412 health facilities in the state.
He described the ALMANACH as a user-friendly program that guides health care workers on clinical decision making, which he said would increase access to high-quality preventative treatment for those living in violent conflict zones.
Swiss Senior Programme Manager, Martin Rabb, said the project would soon be spread to other parts of the country.
The Secretary to the Adamawa State Government, Bashir Ahmed, who represented Governor Ahmed Fintiri, commended their dedication to humanitarian causes and encouraged other international and local partners to initiate other important projects in the state.
Reporting by Hadiza Abdulrahman, editing by Daniel Adejo