The project will see the use of motorcycles to deliver health care to people.
The TY Danjuma Foundation launched, on Wednesday, a health care project that will see thousands of indigenes of Taraba State get better access to health care.
The project, which the Foundation funded with N20 million, will see health workers utilize motorcycles to deliver health care to people in urban areas and also people in rural areas who ordinarily have little access to health care.
The efforts of the health workers is expected to lead to an increase in access to health care by some 230, 000 persons in an area of about 2,500km2.
The project will be run in partnership with an organization that focuses on health care delivery, Riders for Health. The Riders for Health workers will make weekly visits to Zing and Lau Local Government Areas in Taraba State in a move to change the landscape of health care delivery in the hitherto forgotten areas.
To ensure sustainability, Riders for Health will also run a maintenance unit that will ensure that vehicles are properly preserved throughout their life span. The maintenance of the vehicles is not new to Riders for Health as it currently operates “135 vehicles in Nigeria and has seven vehicles maintenance units across the six geopolitical zones,” the organization said.
Also, it has a past record of successfully mobilizing health workers to remote parts of Africa.
The Riders for Health’s Chief Operating Officer, Vinay Nagaraju, described the partnership with the TY Danjuma Foundation as a high point.
He said it is a great opportunity to expand its health care services in Nigeria to Taraba.
“The impact of this latest project will play an important role in expanding Riders for Health’s work in the country and improving access to health care for millions of people,” Mr. Nagaraju said.
The TY Foundation is known to get involved in humanitarian causes especially in the health sector.
According to Riders for Health, “The TY Danjuma Foundation is strong in advancing community health initiatives and is a vital partner for this purpose.”
“This grant will go a long way to changing what has been previously accepted as norm in health care delivery in rural areas, and will allow us to transform people’s lives in rural areas,” the group added.
