Bayelsa State has won an international award from the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Field Epidemiology Network for its performance in immunisation and disease surveillance.
The award was presented to Governor Douye Diri by the Commissioner for Health, Prof Seiyefa Brisibe, on Wednesday during the 193rd State Executive Council meeting at Government House, Yenagoa.
Brisibe said the recognition followed an assessment by the Global Immunization Division of the United States Embassy in July.
According to him, the state successfully immunised over 30,000 children and reduced the number of zero-dose children from 4,000 to 2,100 within one year.
He attributed the progress to the state’s partnership with Zipline, which has enhanced delivery of vaccines and other medical commodities to hard-to-reach riverine communities through the use of drones.
He added that Bayelsa ranked first among participating states in the malaria vaccine pilot programme.
Other achievements listed by the commissioner include the training and deployment of over 720 primary health care workers, deployment of tricycle ambulances and integration of cottage hospitals into the primary healthcare system.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Gentle Emelah, said Bayelsa ranked fifth nationwide in the recent Teachers Professional Qualifying Examination conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.
Emelah said the feat came after the state’s first-place performance in the National Examinations Council examination for candidates with five credits and above.
In his remarks, Diri commended the Ministry of Health but charged it to eliminate the remaining zero-dose cases.
“While this achievement is commendable, it also tells us that about 2,000 children are yet to be immunised. I urge the Ministry of Health not to relent until every eligible child in Bayelsa receives life-saving vaccines,” he said.
On education, the governor described the fifth position as encouraging but urged the ministry to aim higher.
“Ranking fifth out of 36 states is encouraging. It shows that we are making progress. However, our target should be to rank among the top three and ultimately become number one in the country.”
Diri also assured residents that every part of Yenagoa would be connected to the state’s independent power plant and urged them to disregard misinformation capable of undermining peace and security.
