Other outstanding feat of J4PD include: advocacy for 15% budget allocation to health sector and releases, creating awareness on uptake of family planning and other MNCH services in remote communities, calling government attention on omitted MNCH budget line, that was incorporated back into the state budget, and so many community based interface highlighting the importance of accessing health care services at the nearest facilities.
It was little wonder then, when USAID IHP Bauchi decided to support Bauchi State in resuscitating the activities of the MPCDSR Steering Committee, they saw the need to mainstream J4PD into one of the subcommittee of the newly reinvigorated MPCDSR Committee.
The first thing USAID IHP did was to organize an intensive capacity building training for members of J4PD to acquaint them with the concept of MPCDSR.
The objective of the training was to deepen knowledge of the Journalists on the gravity of maternal, newborn and child deaths as well as exposing them to the use of MPCDSR as an evidence-based approach towards preventing such deaths.
Other areas of focus during the training was discussions on the role and contribution of media towards reducing the burden of MNCH deaths and, defining modalities of media reporting of MNCH deaths.
At training, the State Technical Director of USAID IHP Bauchi, Dr. Ibrahim Alhassan Kabo said that journalists have the power to change nations through investigative and well researched stories, but pointed out that, “without research, right knowledge and information, the media has little or no impact to make in the society”.
Dr. Kabo urged the Journalists to leverage on the knowledge gained at the MPCDRS training to embark on an in-depth investigation in order to have accurate report on the challenges, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities inherent in mitigating MNCH deaths in Bauchi State.
Part of content of the training was a field visits to a secondary and primary health care facilities where participants engaged service providers on how they conduct MPCDSR at their facilities.
During the field visit, question and concerns on the minds of the participants was, how do facilities report maternal, perinatal and child deaths that occurs at the community level.
USAID IHP’s Human Resource Advisor Dr. Robinson Yusuf was on ground to answer participants that, though MPCDSR initiative is designed to report all MNC deaths at both the facility and community level, that at the moment the State MPCDSR Steering Committee is trying to institutionalize the initiative at facility level before moving into the community. That for now, MPCDSR facility committee service providers have to relay on what the community reports through Ward Development Committees (WDCs) structures regarding such deaths.
Dr. Robinson also said that community sensitization and awareness on MPCDSR is an area where the media can play an important role.
As innovative as MPCDSR concept is, implementing it even at the facility level is faced with challenges.
One of the major challenge in the implementation of MPCDSR is the absence of a budget line for MPCDSR in the State. This was disclosed by the Secretary of the State Steering Committee Zuwaira Baba when she was giving an overview of MPCDSR in the State.
Another challenge affecting effective implementation of the MPCDSR is the persistent changes in Commissioners of health whom , by default , are the Chairmen of the MPCDSR Steering Committee. Just when a commissioner is settling in to grasp in the importance of MPCDSR activities, he or she will either be deployed to other ministry or a cabinet will be dissolved and that, in turn, affects implementation processes when a new Commissioner assume that same position.
sharing knowledge on the concept. Other activities to be carried by J4PD will be centered around community interfaces and town-hall engagements with both state and non state actors. In all these activities, J4PD agrees that evidence will be used to sway attention on the need to strengthen MPCDSR as a renewed effort geared towards reduction of maternal, perinatal and child mortality in Bauchi state.
Suffice to say, the tremendous technical support J4PD is getting from USAID IHP Bauchi since inception of the intervention has actually paved the way for synergy between these group of Journalists and the MPCDSR State Steering Committee.
Also, the consistent interface between members of J4PD and IHP’s Knowledge Management and Communication (KMC) Specialist, Boniface Kassam has created an enabling environment for the Journalists to showcase their skills in reporting USAID IHPs health interventions in Bauchi State and this was duly acknowledged when USAID IHP presented J4PD with a commendation certificate.
It is also worth mentioning the contributions of Dr. Alhassan Siaka, the State Director of USAID IHP by readily making himself available to J4PD’s requests for technical support for enhanced performance in reporting activities of the health sector in Bauchi State.
At one of such meeting with members of J4PD, Dr. Alhassan advised them to focus their activities in Bauchi State at the moment because of their in-depth knowledge of the environment and the health sector in particular.
With the combined efforts of the State MPCDSR Steering Committee, that is being supported by USAID IHP and the skills of J4PD members in packaging their stories and advocacy messages for target audience, a significant improvement in curbing Maternal, Newborn and Child mortality and morbidity in Bauchi State, through implementation of the MPCDSR, is feasible in no distance future.
Hassan is the Knowledge Management and Communication (KMC) Advisor of J4PD.
