By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the Niger State Ministry of Health has received 15 Thermocoagulation machines from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Muhammad Sani Abubakar, the Information officer at the Niger State Ministry of Health confirmed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
Presenting the equipment to the state government, Dr. Idris Salihu of the Centre for Clinical Care and Research in Nigeria (CCCRN) said that the intervention by USAID was aimed at strengthening the state’s health care system.
Salihu said that the Thermocoagulator will help boost cervical cancer screening and treatment programs in the state.
Salihu explained that the machine uses a high-frequency current that is discharged through a fine needle, delivering heat energy to destroy the skin imperfection.
“This will dry up the anomaly and will cause a minor red mark that disappears in a few hours post-treatment,” he said.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary, of Secondary and Tertiary Health Care, Dr. Mohammed Gana, lauded the donors for the intervention.
Gana said that the items would go a long way in curbing the spread of cervical cancer in the state.
He also appealed to the donors to assist the state with vaccines against the disease which is currently very expensive.
This online platform gathered that the Thermocoagulators at the disposal of the Niger State government have been non-functional as a result of the scarcity of gas used for powering the machine.
The new models donated by USAID which are powered by electricity, are expected to guarantee more efficiency.
According to the Director of Public Health, Dr. Ibrahim Idris, the ministry had trained health workers on Thermocoagulation during the past administration.
