The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), flagged of the National Implementation of the Integrated Medical Outreach Programme (I-MOP)

Speaking at Bwari Township Primary Health Care Centre, FCT, Abuja, The Vice President, His Excellency, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, disclosed that 409 Local Government Areas and Medical Outreaches in each Senatorial Districts in the 36 states and FCT had been selected.

 The Vice President informed that the programme is scheduled to take off between March and April, 2020, with special focus on unreached, underserved and vulnerable communities in these selected Local Government Areas. He stated that the activities would be running simultaneously in all the selected LGAs from March (23rd – 27th   ), April (20th – 24th), and June (1st – 5th), 2020, following the launch by the State Governors.

Prof. Osinbajo reiterated the promise and commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari Administration that no child or individual anywhere in the country should be without access to life-saving vaccines and primary healthcare services. He therefore implored parents, guardians and community leaders to ensure children benefit from this initiative.

He pointed out that an important milestone is expected in the next few months for Polio Eradication and Global Health: the certification of Nigeria and WHO African Region as wild polio free, stating that the pending achievement follows Nigeria’s success when in August, 2019, we marked the requisite three years since the last wild polio virus case was reported and became the last polio-endemic country in the African Region.

The VP commended the Honourable Minister of Health and his team, Development Partners and Donors working relentlessly to ensure that quality healthcare services are delivered to Nigerians. He urged citizens to practice and propagate measures recommended by the Federal Ministry of Health in view of the global corona virus disease outbreak which Nigeria must contain.

Speaking earlier, the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said that Integrated Medical Outreach Programme (I-MOP) is intended to rapidly ramp up immunization, and provide basic primary health care services, including minor surgeries to underserved communities and vulnerable populations.

He informed that the improvements in routine immunization are not indicative that every child in Nigeria is protected with life-saving vaccines, where significant gaps still exist in underserved communities leading to catastrophic disease outbreak and deaths.

The Minister stated that in order to address these identified gaps, the Federal Ministry of Health, through the NPHCDA, is working with development partners to sustain gains in the post-polio era and promote equity, by targeting the underserved and vulnerable populations. This is where the integrated Medical Outreach Programme (I-MOP) strategies roll out comes in to address the gaps.

Dr. Ehanire stated that the programme’s objectives include to reach underserved populations with basic medical and surgical services, reach underserved populations with life-saving vaccines, curtail paralysis from Cvdpv infections, and to forestall polio resurgence amongst others.

He further said that the dividend of the programme is that more children will be protected from disease, death and have better chance of healthier childhood, while households would also be protected from high health expenditure,