MNCH WEEK TO PROMOTE HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF THE FAMILY – ADEFULIRE

The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire has averred that the maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) week currently being celebrated in the state will improve the health seeking behaviour of the whole family especially mothers and care givers of children under the age of five years.

Adefulire who stated this today at the flag-off ceremony of the second round of this year’s maternal, newborn and child health week celebration at the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat noted that the week seek to promote an integrated, high impact and low-cost package of protective, preventive and promotive services to the whole family.

Said she, “the services offered during the week include routine immunization, vitamin A supplementation, growth monitoring and promotion; screening for malnutrition and appropriate counseling and referral; and distribution of deworming medicine and information, education and communication materials”.

Represented by the Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi, the Deputy Governor also added that women of child bearing age will be given tetanus toxoid and counseled on key household practices like exclusive breastfeeding, hand washing, oral rehydration therapy and home management of fever, stressing that antenatal care for pregnant women and family planning services for all women within reproductive age group will also be provided.

She urged families and caregivers to bring their children and wards, especially those that are five years and below to the health facilities close to them to enjoy services offered during the MNCH week and to continue to avail themselves of the services even after the weeklong celebration noting that all services are provided free of charge.

“The MNCH week is a fundamental part of the integrated maternal newborn and child health (IMNCH) strategy, a high profile initiative put together by the Federal Ministry of Health and adopted at the National Council of Health meeting held in Lagos in 2007 to fast track the achievement of the millennium development goals (MDGs) four and five which is reducing child mortality and improving maternal health”, she said.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris said the maternal, newborn and child health week marks another bold step in the efforts by the state government to bring to fore the importance of the health of mothers including pregnant women, newborns and children under five years.

Idris who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Femi Olugbile noted that the importance of the week cannot be overemphasized especially as the nation’s maternal and child health statistics are not encouraging.

He expressed his displeasure about how mothers are still dying not from diseases but during the normal, life-enhancing process of procreation adding that a lot of children still die from diseases that can be prevented.

“It is for this reason that the Lagos State Government is making frantic efforts towards ensuring that health promoting programmes for women and children are implemented. Of the truth, national well being is not judged by the arsenals and military tanks a country possesses, a major criterion of human development index is the health status of mothers and children”, he said.

The commissioner listed some of the interventions embarked on by the state government to tackle the twin issue of child mortality and improve maternal health to include, a comprehensive revitalization of primary health care system which includes infrastructural development, procurement of equipment and capacity building of health workers, development of maternal mortality reduction (MMR) programme to exclusively cater for needs of mothers, neonates and children and enhanced quality of health services.

He opined that the full implementation of the integrated maternal, newborn and child health strategy would prevent up to 72% of neonatal deaths, more than 70% of under five deaths and 62% of maternal deaths adding that in absolute terms, more than 200,000 mothers and 6 million children lives can be saved by 2015.

The maternal newborn and child health week commenced on Monday, 21st November and is scheduled to end on Sunday 27th November, 2011.

http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/index.php?page=news&nid=1565