…with Millennium Village Project
Stakeholders of the Pampaida Millennium Villages project in Kaduna have commended leading telecoms operator, Airtel Nigeria, for its contribution towards the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Specifically, the stakeholders lauded Airtel’s mobile-health service, an intervention which has significantly reduced the mortality and morbidity rate of infants and mothers in several villages in Kaduna State.
Whilst expressing their gratitude, the health workers in the communities, residents and other beneficiaries urged Airtel to continue in its genuine commitment at improving the quality of life of Nigerians as demonstrated by the smooth operations of the M-health service.
Under the M-health initiative, Airtel is providing critical telecommunications Infrastructure including a 3G mast, smartphones, toll free lines and Closed User Group (CUG) services for the health workers in the villages.
The Pampaida Millennium Village Project in Kaduna is one of the two Millennium Villages inaugurated by the Federal Government in May 2006 in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Team Leader and Operations Manager, Pampaida MVP, Mr. Bala Yunusa, described the role played by Airtel Nigeria as vital and indispensable towards achieving the key goals of the Millennium Villages Project.
Mr. Yunusa, in an interview during an assessment tour by Airtel Nigeria to the MVP in Kaduna said: “After conducting a rapid diagnostic test, the Village Health Workers are able to capture and send real-time information on their mobile phones to a server which provides automatic response and guidance for the health workers on the field.
“The mobile data provided by Airtel is used to send required details to the remote server, while the CUG allows smooth communication among the team of health workers. This is made possible by our partner Airtel Nigeria in collaboration with Ericsson.”
While highlighting some of the achievements recorded by the health project, the Coordinator, MVP, Dr. Clement Woje, noted that it has resulted in increased access and utilization of health care services, decreased malaria prevalence rate and influenced a general decline in child and maternal mortality.
Corroborating Dr. Woje, Mr. Ojo Adedotun, a Health Facilitator under the project, said the project records a monthly average of 30 to 40 child deliveries out of which 10 to 15 are home deliveries while the remaining occur in the clinic noting that the M-health service supported by Airtel Nigeria plays significant roles in the success of these deliveries.
Pampaida is located in Kaduna State and it comprises 57 settlements/villages with a total population of about 27, 000 people divided into about 4, 050 households. It has 4 health centres in Saulawa, Kwari, Fadama and Kale districts where the Village Health Workers serve.
The Millennium Villages project, based at The Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a science-based bottom-up approach to lifting rural villages out of the poverty trap that afflicts more than a billion people worldwide. The community-driven initiative currently operates in 11 sub-Saharan African countries where it tackles challenges related to health, education, nutrition, livelihoods, gender equality and other vital issues.
The Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, says the company is providing communications solutions that will help to improve the quality of life of people in one of the remotest parts of Nigeria.
“The communication solutions that have been deployed will enable the people of Pampaida to make calls, access health services and education and improve their economic status.
“We are creating enormous opportunities for these communities and we expect the impact of this project to outlive our generation. At Airtel Nigeria, we are convinced that the attendant benefits and potential of this project will fast-track transformation of the lives of many of the residents of Pampaida from their current status,” he said.