Internally displaced women deliver over 1,500 babies in Borno camps during 2015

AS many as 1,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) gave birth to babies in refugee camps during the course of 2015 according to recent statistics just published by the Borno State Primary Health Care Management Board (BSPHCMB).

 

Since 2009, Borno State has bore the brunt of the Boko Haram insurgency as the terrorist sect has run riot across the state and at one time controlled 14 local government areas. At the moment, about half of the Borno population is living in the state capital Maiduguri, while thousands others live in IDP camps scattered across Nigeria.

 

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Nigeria now has the highest number of IDP's in the world, with 2.2m people living in internal refugee camps. Across Borno State alone, there are 28 IDP camps and according to Dr Sule Mene, the BSPHCMB executive secretary, between January 2015 and January 2016, over 1,500 were born in them.

 

Dr Mene said about 14,600 pregnant women received anti-natal health care, psycho-social services and child nutrition support, adding that the agency had also received about 1,200 severe medical cases, which were referred to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for proper care. He added that the agency had established 20 integrated primary health care centres for IDPs in all the camps.

 

“The Borno State government has procured health kits for each of the IDPs to help cater for their immediate needs. We have equally distributed mosquito nets to each and every one of them,” Dr Mene added.

 

In addition, he said the agency, in collaboration with Federal Road Safety Commission, has trained its drivers to ensure prompt movement of expectant mothers to health facilities. Meanwhile, the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency has said that about 90% of IDPs in the various camps in the state have returned home.