NIGERIA: The U.S. have reiterated their commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to Nigeria in the health care sector

Record ID: 235745

  • Title: NIGERIA: The U.S. have reiterated their commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to Nigeria in the health care sector
  • Date: 28th June 2012
  • Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (JUNE 27, 2012) (REUTERS) INFORMATION OFFICER AT THE US EMBASSY IN ABUJA, DEBORAH MACLEAN AND DIRECTOR OF MEDIA INFORMATION SUPPORT TEAM, CAPTAIN IAN EDGERLY, HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCE AMERICAN FLAG VARIOUS JOURNALISTS VARIOUS OF DIGNITARIES (SOUNDBITE) (English) IAN EDGERLY, DIRECTOR OF MEDIA INFORMATION SUPPORT TEAM, SAYING: "It is very apparent that we are here to support these Nigerian institutions and help them learn from our failures so that they don't make those same mistakes in the future and it's much better for everybody in West Africa, in the Trans-Sahel as a whole." PEOPLE SITTING JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES MACLEAN AND EDGERLY JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) IAN EDGERLY, DIRECTOR OF MEDIA INFORMATION SUPPORT TEAM, SAYING: "Within those two days that we had this free medical clinic, over 700 people were seen in the village of Ashiegu just south of Makurdi. Like I said, testing for HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and basic donor treatment and preventive medicine. This is one of the big things that we do because there is an issue; sometimes local clinics can't actually reach out to the public as well as they should be able to and need just a little bit of help in doing it and this is one thing we help provide. Our humanitarian assistance team helps getting all the medications in, we help pay for the medications but when we go to do the actual event, the Nigerian military, the Nigerian government agencies actually do all the work, we just help assist, make sure the planning goes correctly, give hints, tips, clues on how to do it more efficiently." VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEBORAH MACLEAN, INFORMATION OFFICER, US EMBASSY, ABUJA, SAYING: "There's no interest in having boots on the ground if you will, we are not looking to do that, that is not an interest of ours. This is purely to assist people that need assistance that may not always have access to that assistance in their own country and to have the Nigerians make that accessible for them and for us to assist in that." VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS WIDE OF VENUE
  • Embargoed: 13th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: International Relations,Health,People
  • Reuters ID: LVA4DSG27GARPC7ARR6KB2WI1B6K
  • Story Text: The United States have reiterated their commitment to provide local communities in Nigeria with humanitarian assistance in the health care sector.
    The media information team of the United States embassy disclosed that they were not looking to take over but to give required aid in areas that lacked proper health amenities.
    Nigeria is among the African countries that are poorly equipped to withstand and confront endemic health problems.
    The country's health sector is ridden with inadequate health facilities, poor health information systems and insufficient numbers of trained health workers.
    Ian Edgerly, director of the media information support team said it was important for local clinics in communities to be given aid in order to avoid past mistakes.
    "It is very apparent that we are here to support these Nigerian institutions and help them learn from our failures so that they don't make those same mistakes in the future and it's much better for everybody in West Africa, in the Trans-Sahel as a whole," he told a news conference on Thursday (June 27).
    Ian Edgerly further added that medical care assistance had already begun in some parts of the country.
    "Within those two days that we had this free medical clinic, over 700 people were seen in the village of Ashiegu just south of Makurdi. Like I said, testing for HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and basic donor treatment and preventive medicine. This is one of the big things that we do because there is an issue; sometimes local clinics can't actually reach out to the public as well as they should be able to and need just a little bit of help in doing it and this is one thing we help provide. Our humanitarian assistance team helps getting all the medications in, we help pay for the medications but when we go to do the actual event, the Nigerian military, the Nigerian government agencies actually do all the work, we just help assist, make sure the planning goes correctly, give hints, tips, clues on how to do it more efficiently," he said.
    Disease and poor health in Nigeria pose what many believe to be critical obstacles to the economic development of the country.
    Deborah Maclean, Information officer, U.S. Embassy in Abuja said it is in their interest to basically provide the needed support and medical advice.
    "There's no interest in having boots on the ground if you will, we are not looking to do that, that is not an interest of ours. This is purely to assist people that need assistance that may not always have access to that assistance in their own country and to have the Nigerians make that accessible for them and for us to assist in that," she said.
    Private healthcare, although available in major cities as Abuja and Lagos, suffers a state of neglect in most rural areas.
    Activists have blamed politicians for not developing the country's healthcare services and infrastructure in favour of world class facilities in the U.S, Europe, Middle East and South Africa where they often fly for treatment.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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