Bauchi State Government has inaugurated 800 Community Health Influencers and Promoters Services (CHIPS) Agents and the COVID-19 Scales 3.0 Vaccination in the state.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Saturday in Bauchi, Alhaji Ali Babayo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, said the project would go a long way in creating demand.
He said the 800 CHIPS agents, 133 Community health supervisors and 133 Community engagement focal persons were selected to carry out responsibilities of the project.
Babayo commended the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for introducing the programme in the state.
“The programme will create demands and at the same time ensure provision of basic health services in our communities.
“The state will continue to ensure all eligible residents were vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.
Also, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, Chairman, state Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA), said the agents were selected among the existing community health volunteers by partners who previously worked in health projects.
He also assured that the state had enough COVID- 19 vaccine supplies that would reach all eligible individuals in the state.
Mohammmed urged the CHIPS agents to be committed in their assigned responsibilities, to become change agents for health in their respective communities.
On his part, Emir of Dass, Alhaji Bilyaminu Othman, Co-Chair Task Force on Primary Health Care, said traditional institutions were actively working with a host of community resource groups in various communities.
The Emir assured that traditional institutions were ever ready for continued partnership with both government and partners.
Gov Bala Mohammed, represented by his Deputy Sen. Baba Tela, said the state government had placed a high premium on the health and well-being of the people of the state.
“Within the past three years, we committed a lot of resources to the health sector which are aimed at improving the hitherto moribund and dilapidated health services and infrastructure,” he said.
He explained that the CHIPS Programme was aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality, especially among women and children, through strategic house-to-house demand generation of health services.
Mohsmmed said the COVID-19 Scales 3.0 would be implemented adequately, urging the public to vaccinate and mobilise their families and wards to do the same.
NAN
