By Chioma Onuegbu Uyo

Akwa Ibom State first Lady, Mrs Patience Umo Eno has called for synergy and collaboration among stakeholders including the academia to tackle Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs, prevalence in the State.

 Mrs Eno, according to a statement yesterday in Uyo, spoke during the first NTDs stakeholders summit entitled: “Enhancing Domestic Resource Mobilizations Towards Sustaining the Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Akwa Ibom State”, held last Thursday.

The statement which was made available to newsmen, noted that the summit held in Uyo was organised, by the State Ministry of Health in partnership with Helen Keller International (HKI)

Her words: “Synergy among non-governmental organisations, the Academia, Government and other relevant Stakeholders is a sure way to combating the prevalence of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

“Our collective knowledge and expertise will be vital in shaping a future where these diseases no longer pose significant threats to human life and well-being.

“Let us foster an environment of open-mindedness, empathy and knowledge sharing, recognising the importance of multidisciplinary approaches and the involvement of various stakeholders, including government, the academia, NGOs, and the private sector so that significant strides can be recorded in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases,”

The First Lady who was the Special Guest, encouraged mothers to take the de-worming of their children seriously.

She expressed the confidence that the summit would prompt stakeholders to take meaningful measures in stopping the spread of NTDs.

According to the statement, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Augustine Umoh explained that the summit underscored the need to raise awareness and draw greater attention to the challenges of the health challenge in the State.

Prof. Umoh disclosed that the Ministry of Health in partnership with Helen Keller International to carry  out over 314 free surgeries across the three Senatorial district in the state in the last 3 years.

 Similarly, the State Coordinator, NTDs Control and Elimination Programme, Dr. Aniekeme Uwah called on stakeholders to partner the State Ministry of Health to enable the State to  meet the global 2030 target of 90% reduction in the number of people required for treatment for NTDs.

“The essence of this summit is to provide opportunity for stakeholders to take a cursory look at how solutions could be proffered to the myriads of challenges confronting the implementation of control and elimination strategies through the identification of gaps, areas of partnership and opportunities for domestic resource mobilization (DRM).

“To help the most vulnerable population affected by NTDs, which has led to stigmatization, untold hardship and suffering” Uwah noted.

 In his brief goodwill message , the Head of Programmes, HKI, Mohammed Aliyu explained that the organization has partnered with 12 states with huge investments in curbing NTDs in the country.