Community Awareness Development Initiative (CADI), an NGO, has embarked on a tour of rural communities in Sokoto State to sensitise residents to the need to access reproductive and other health care services.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the exercise is being conducted in town hall meetings.

Speaking at one of such meetings in Shuni on Saturday, Dr Bala Gadanga, head of CADI medical team, who is the resource person, enjoined women around the child bearing bracket to access available reproductive health services and supplements.

Gadanga, who examined the religious and traditional perceptions of child spacing techniques, emphasised the need to educate women on the crucial fact that spacing their children was in their own interest and the children.

The medical doctor stressed the need for proper understanding of the importance of reproductive health, maternal health, immunisations, girl-child education, among other issues.

“CADI reports indicate that pregnant women, new babies and nursing mothers are demanding for increased supply of life-enhancing drugs.

“Most rural dwellers are at present asking for Miso-prosol tablet – the drug used to stop excessive bleeding above 500ml of blood after child birth.

“Other drugs usually being demanded during our interactive sessions include Chlorohexidine used for the protection of the umbilical cord of a new-born against sepsis infection,” he said.

Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, Chairman, Board of Trustees of the NGO, in his remarks, said that communities were being sensitised as part of the NGO’s collaborative activities.

Umar-Jabbi, District Head of Gagi, said that the NGO had intensified efforts at promoting community awareness on the importance of all forms of immunisation, reproductive health and dangers of Vesico-Virginal Fistula (VVF), among others.

According to him, the NGO is involving Ward Development Committee members and other Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), to strengthen advocacy on health issues.

“Most sensitisations are organised in urban centres and at local government headquarters which mainly attract residents of cities and marginalise rural dwellers. We want to change that,” he said.

According to him, CADI has organised town hall meetings on health issues at Gagi, Gwadabawa and Shuni communities rural communities with the aim of uplifting the rural dwellers’ living standard.

He called for increased community involvement in health policies, stressing that involving traditional and community leaders in drugs administration would ensure wider coverage.

He added that the NGO was in partnership with the Sokoto State government and UNFPA to create awareness in communities and ensure wider health coverage and community ownership of health-related programmes.

Umar-Jabbi urged people to access health facilities available in their areas, and urged health workers to live up to the expectation of the people so as to boost public confidence in their servies.

Responding, the Village Head of Shuni, Alhaji Sanusi Marafan-Shuni, lauded CADI for the effort and urged Traditional Birth Attendants to intensify the sensitisation