An international medical non-governmental organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders), has said it treated 16,376 patients for malaria and 8,365 for measles in Maiduguri, Borno State in 2021.
MSF Field Communication Officer, Abdulkareem Yakubu, disclosed this in a report on Thursday, adding that the humanitarian organisation had provided a range of primary and secondary health services to residents of Gwoza and Pulka.
He said, “In Maiduguri, MSF runs a 65-bed paediatric hospital with an intensive care unit in the Gwange area. The hospital’s capacity is extendable to 220 beds, if required, using tents to manage an increased volume of patients during the seasonal malaria peak or in response to a measles outbreak. In 2021, MSF admitted 15,568 children to the hospital and treated 16,376 patients for malaria and 8,365 for measles.
“In Gwoza and Pulka, MSF teams worked in two 70- bed Ministry of Health hospitals until July 2021, one in Pulka and one in Gwoza.
“In both locations, MSF provided a range of primary and secondary health services, including emergency care, surgery, nutritional care, mental health support, and treatment for sexual and gender-based violence, treatment for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and protection activities.”
Yakubu added that MSF operations in Gwoza and Pulka were closed in July 2021 for the purpose of staff safety in the region.
“From January to July 2021, MSF teams conducted 36,162 outpatient consultations, 5,859 mental health consultations, assisted 1,089 deliveries including 48 caesareans, provided 4,806 antenatal check-ups for pregnant women and conducted 257 major surgeries. MSF took the painful decision to close its operations in Gwoza and Pulka in late July 2021, in line with its commitment to its staff’s right to safety and security. MSF had assisted communities in Gwoza and Pulka since 2016,” he said
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