By Chioma Umeha
The Lagos State Government on Monday commenced
this year’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, (MNCH) Week across the state,
saying that it is planning to reach 640,000 pregnant women.
The MNCH Week offers a veritable platform to
simultaneously contribute to the reduction of child morbidity and mortality and
improving maternal health indices. The week holds between 3 and 7 July, 2017.
At a news conference weekend, at the Lagos State
Government Secretariat, Alausa, in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, Special
Adviser to the Governor on Primary Health Care, Dr. Olufemi Onanuga said it was
a known fact that maternal, peri-natal and child (under five year) health was
one of the most important issues that determined national well-being.
He said when aggregated, this group (women of
child bearing age and under- five year old) represents over 42 per cent of the
state’s total population, apart from their constituting a vulnerable group,
adding that every individual, family and community was, at some point,
intimately involved in pregnancy and the success of childbirth and parenting.
“It is a rather sad fact that most of the maternal
and child deaths and morbidity are avoidable if preventive measures are taken,
and adequate care is available.
“It is for this reason that I fully lend my voice
and support to the Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy
adopted in Nigeria as a panacea to frontally tackle the twin issue of maternal
and child morbidity and mortality,” he explained.
Onanuga said during the July round of
implementation, a wide range of high-impact, low-cost, protective, preventive
and promoting services would be provided to the whole family.
“These will include routine immunization; Vitamin
A supplementation; growth monitoring and promotion, screening for malnutrition
and appropriate counselling/management/referral; distribution of de-worming
medicine, and distribution of Information Education and Communication (IEC)
materials aimed at improving the health seeking behaviour. In addition, tetanus
toxoid will be given to women of child-bearing-age, who are also counselled on
key household practices like exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding and
basic hygiene. Antenatal care and family planning services will be provided.”
he said.
The special adviser further said that the 57 Local
Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas were expected to flag-off
this programme as this would create the necessary awareness for enhanced
mobilization of the target population to all the Primary Healthcare Centres,
PHCs, throughout the State.
He urged all Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)
to ensure they were registered, and continue to refer patients early while
being conversant with the danger signs in pregnancy and newborns, while
imploring women to notify the authorities of any unregistered quacks and
charlatans in their neighbourhood.
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