‘FG Set To Determine Health Status Of Nigerians’

The Federal Government has expressed its resolve to determine the health status of Nigerians through the 2018 National Health Demographic Survey (NDHS).

Alhaji Hassan Bashir, the Federal Commissioner representing Bauchi state, National Population Commission (NPopC), said this at a news conference in Bauchi to mark the commencement of the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) in the state.

The survey is being conducted jointly by the commission and the Federal Ministry of Health.

Bashir said that the 2018 NDHS would be the sixth in the series of the DHS conducted in the country.

“The NDHS is a five year periodic worldwide survey programme designed by USAID with support from international donors to assist countries in conducting household sample survey to monitor changes in population, health and nutrition,” he said.

According to him, the objective of the survey is to collect high quality data for policy formulation, programme planning, monitoring and evaluation.

The federal commissioner also explained that the sample size for the 2018 NDHS consists of a total of 1,400 small geographically defined areas called clusters with each state having 37 with FCT, while Lagos and Kano States have 53 clusters each.

He noted that the survey would ensure collecting high quality data on fertility level on especially contraceptive use, maternal and child health, violence against women, gender, immunisation, nutrition and breast feeding, among others.

“The survey will provide information to address evaluation needs, family planning, measuring haemoglobin level in women, assess prevalence of malaria and genotype.

“To also foster and reinforce Nigeria’s ownership of data collection and analysis, presentations and use by utilising its own manpower.

“Also to apply data collection method to ensure the provision of high quality data at a reasonable cost and to also strengthen nation capacities on better use of collected data for identifying demographic and health related basic needs,” he said.

Bashir therefore appealed to traditional leaders, states and local governments to support the commission by giving the field officers the necessary information and access to clusters.