The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has commended the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation (TCF), for providing free integrated Primary Health Care (PHC) services to communities in Zaria Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
Mrs Chinwe Ezeife, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna, gave the commendation in Zaria on Friday, after a visit to the foundation’s G.K. Chanrai Memorial Hospital, Unguwan Dagaci, Jos Road, Zaria Local Government Area.
Ezeife told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that she was thrilled with how TCF was implementing its corporate social responsibility.
“I am particularly impressed that the foundation was providing nearly all the components of primary health care services including nutrition services.
“I was pleased to see that the foundation is teaching women on utilisation of locally available nutritious food items in the preparation of complementary feeding.
“The foundation is also processing locally food items into compact nutrition formula and distributing free, to mothers with children six month and above who are transiting exclusive breastfeeding to complementary feeding.
“Not only that, TCF is using the formula to treat moderate malnourished children, along with nutrition counseling, infant and young child feeding with emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding,” she said.
The nutritionist commended the foundation for providing free maternal health services, immunisation, nutrition, and family planning services, including prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
She noted that foundation’s initiative and innovations in service delivery were helping to attract more pregnant women to the facility for antenatal care services and deliveries.
Ezeife also hailed the Kaduna State Government for making efforts to improve the quality of primary healthcare by ensuring one functional PHC per ward in the state.
“The government has demonstrated a strong commitment through the upgrading and equipping of the health centres, recruitment and deployment of health workers.
“There is also the implementation of a Health Insurance Scheme, as well as establishment of Drugs Management Agency that is providing routine drugs and other consumables to health facilities, among other healthcare initiatives,” she said.
The TCF Programme Manager, Dr Mohammed Khaliq, said that the foundation was providing nearly free PHC services under the Zaria PHC Project.
The programme manager said that a total of 68,536 patients were treated between April 2020 and March 2021, of which 52,262 were treated free.
Khaliq had explained that the gesture was part of efforts to reduce maternal and infant mortality in the state.
He said that the project also has the mission of immunising children against all preventable diseases, reduce malnutrition among children under five years and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
The programme manager noted that the project, which began in 2015 in Zaria, was being implemented by TCF with support from Kewalran Chanrai Foundation in collaboration with Zaria Local Government Council.
He added that the gesture was part of the corporate social responsibility of the Chanrai family in India, the owner of Sunseed Oil and Feed Mill Company, Zaria, and other companies in the country. (NAN)
