Ini LGA Flags Off Maternal, Newborn Child Health Week

Written by EMMANUEL SILAS
The maternal and newborn child health week has been flag-off in Odoro Ikpe, the Ini Local Government Area Headquarters on Friday, November 25, 20011.

Flagging off the health activities for pregnant women and new born children, the wife of the Transition Committee Chairman, Mrs. Mfoniso Etetim Anwatim, commended the state Ministry of Health for their laudable programmes and collaborating with international agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, and EU PRIME among others to prevent diseases.
Mrs. Anwatim stated that the week-long event was a fundamental approach of bringing an integrated package of preventive services believed to be cost effective yet result oriented for the improvement of child health and survival which were run in conjunction with routine services at health facilities.
She pointed out that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 were aimed at reducing the infant and maternal infant morbidity and mortality through the recommended packages including; immunization of babies between the ages 0 to 11 months, administration of Vitamin A supplement, deworming of children between 12 to 59 months, growth monitoring of children from ages 6 to 59 months, and care for the pregnant women.
According to the Ini Local Government first lady, other packages offered by the MDGs 4 and 5 were; birth registration, health education on key household practices such as exclusive breastfeeding, hand washing, prevention and care for HIV/AIDS, birth preparedness, complication readiness, child and pregnant women sleeping under lasting insecticide nets.
While admonishing parents, care-givers and guardians to make good use of the opportunity by embracing the week-long programme, she lauded the transition committee chairman, Hon. Anwatim for his resilience in the development of the entire area as evidence in the support given to health and other programmes.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Director, Primary Health Care for Ini Local Government Area, Mrs. Victoria Ibanga, noted that there had been growing concern aim at improving the maternal and child health as a result of the gloomy statistics in the sub-Saharan Africa.
Mrs. Ibanga maintained that regardless of the concerted global effort to advance the mother and child health, the situation appears to deteriorate in the developing countries especially Nigeria, stressing that the maternal and child health week was a significant opportunity with holistic intervention and packages.
She solicited the co-operation and contributions of all to actualize the MDGs objectives of reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality by the year 2015.
Mrs Ibanga acknowledged the contributions of the Transition Committee Chairman, Hon Anwatim and wife, the State Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF and other donor agencies for their input in preventing diseases and promoting health.
Highlights of the ceremony were the immunization of babies, presentation of gifts to mothers by the wife of the transition committee chairman, Mrs. Mfoniso Anwatim as well as the presentation of wheel chairs to the health department of the local government.
Present at the event were the village head of Odoro Ikpe, Chief Edet Akpan; the supervisor for health, Hon. Eme Essien; Special Adviser on Women Affair, Hon. Elizabeth Ibanga, health staff among others dignitaries.

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