From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The National Population Commission ( NPC), on Thursday began the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) in Kogi, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
The State Director of the Commission, Mr Ojo Titus, at a joint press briefing with Kogi Ministry of Health in Lokoja, told newsmen that the field work had started in the state on Aug 26, and it would end on Dec. 15.
According to Titus, NDHS is a national sample survey designed to provide update information on background characteristics of the respondents within a target population in the country.
“It is essentially a health programme purely designed to generate reliable data on health and health related issues for policy formulation,, programme planning, monitoring and evaluation.
“It started in 1990 and conducted every five-year. The 2018 edition is the sixth and very unique as it focuses on a number of health issues that have direct bearing on the wellbeing of people.
“It is along this direction that we want information to be passed onto the general public for a good and uncompromised result. We have nine field workers and two drivers in Kogi,” Titus said.
He added that the 2018 NDHS would cover 19 LGAs of Kogi, aimed at the assessment of prevalence of malaria, genotype test for sickle cell disease among others.
In his remarks, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said that the data from the surveys would be used to better understand the population, health, and nutrition situation in the country.
Adewole, whose speech was presented by Dr Saka Audu, Kogi Commissioner for Health, noted that the specific objective of the NDHS was to collect high-quality data for policy formulation, program planning, monitoring and evaluation.
According to him, It is also aimed at fostering and reinforcing host-country ownership of data collection, analysis, presentation, and use; increase the capacity of host-country partners to collect and use data for policy and program implementation purposes.
Adewole said that the sample size for the 2018 NDHS consists of a total of 1,500 clusters (small geographically defined areas) with each state and FCT having 37 clusters with the exception of Lagos and Kano States which have 53 clusters respectively.
He added: “The clusters are made up-of 580 (41%) urban clusters with 17,310 households and 820 (59%) rural clusters with 24,690 households with each cluster having 30 households each.
“Expectedly, a total of 40,567 women and 12,056 men will be interviewed in this survey.
“The fieldwork at the state level has already commenced from Aug. 26, and will last till Dec. 15, 2018, in the 36 States and the FCT.
“The 2018 NDHS unlike the previous exercises, has been designed with additional components on malaria and genotype testing among others.”
Adewole appealed to states and local government councils, traditional institutions and communities in the affected areas to support the commission in carrying out the DHS by allowing our field functionaries unfettered access to the selected clusters.
Our Correspondent reports that the Kogi Commissioner for Health, Saka Audu, was also represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr Ayodele Olayemi.
End.
