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A specialist with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Samuel Joseph, has called for collective stakeholder support in tackling the spread of NOMA disease.
The MSF project medical lead emphasised the need for collaboration between the government and major stakeholders in the state to prevent the spread of NOMA among citizens.
He stated that since the disease is preventable, there is a need for everyone to promote safe hygiene practices to enhance better living conditions.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Sokoto State, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has urged MSF to upgrade the NOMA hospital in Sokoto to an international standard. The governor made this call on Wednesday during the 10th Anniversary and 2024 NOMA Day commemoration held at Sokoto Guest Inn, Sokoto.
Representing the Special Adviser on Malaria Elimination, Dr. Namadina Ibrahim, the governor noted that the NOMA hospital in the state is the busiest of its kind in the country.
He highlighted that records from the hospital show that patients are admitted not only from Sokoto but also from neighbouring countries such as the Niger Republic, Mali, and Ghana.
The governor added that upgrading the hospital would allow it to accommodate more patients and provide training for doctors specialising in the disease. He emphasised that NOMA is preventable, which makes prevention more feasible and cost-effective than treatment.
In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, commended the efforts of MSF in the state and challenged the organisation to work towards making Sokoto a NOMA-free state. Represented by the District Head of Bodinga, Muhammad Bello, the Sultan expressed his readiness to collaborate with MSF to achieve this goal.
A highlight of the program was a presentation of MSF’s achievements in Sokoto State, including 1,467 major surgeries conducted since the project’s inception.
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