First Lady, A’isha Muhammadu Buhari, has commended the activities of Doctors without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres, (MSF).
The First Lady made the commendation while receiving a team from the organisation.
Mrs. Buhari, in an issued statement signed by the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity (Office of the First Lady), Aliyu Abdullahi, affirmed that the organisation is reputed for the good it is doing to humanity and said many hard-to-reach areas rely on their intervention for medical service.
She applauded the transfer of competence that thousands of Nigerian professionals were enjoying from the international team, believing that ultimately, it will result in the reduction of the rates of maternal and child mortality in the country.
The First Lady noted that the areas of common interest between the organisation and the ‘Future Assured Programme’ includes nutrition, maternal and child health, urging for more partnership between the two organisations.
The team was received on her behalf by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Women Affairs, Dr. Rukayya Gurin.
Earlier, the Nigeria Country Representative of MSF, Dr. Simba Tirima said the organization is an international, independent medical humanitarian organization that provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.
MSF, he said, is at the forefront of humanitarian service in Nigeria, with a presence in 10 States, employing 3000 Nigerian professionals.
Part of the programmes he highlighted includes: lead poisoning, maternal and child health, Noma disease, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Nutrition, and support for internally-displaced persons (IDPs).
He commended the First Lady for her multiple interventions and advocacy in the area of nutrition, saying a factory has been birthed for the local production of Ready-to-use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), one of her campaigns relating to severe acute malnutrition.
At the meeting were the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs and Strategy, Muhammad Sani Zorro, other Special Assistants, and officials of MSF from various regions of the world.
