RSG To Hold 1st MNCH Week

The Rivers State Ministry of Health in collaboration with donor agencies says it is set to hold the first Bi-annual Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) week.

A press release issued by the Ministry indicates that the campaign is slated to hold simultaneously in all the 23 local government areas of the state from May 21 to 27.

According to the release, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, said the MNCH week is one of the strategies designed by the state government to “achieving optimum health  for our people”.

The exercise, according to the commissioner, “is aimed at reducing and improving maternal and child morbidity and mortality”.

The commissioners further stated that, prevailing health issues such as malaria, malnutrition, diarrhoea, vaccine preventable diseases and family planning shall be given priority during the campaign.

He enjoined women of child bearing age (15-49 years) to visit health centres and designated temporary fixed posts to have themselves vaccinated against tetanus.

The commissioner also charged parents and care givers to avail themselves of what the MNCH Week has to offer them by taking their children from zero to five-years to health centres closest to them for immunization against vaccine preventable diseases such as, whooping cough, yellow fever, polio, measles and tuberculosis, saying that, “the vaccines are free, potent, safe and effective”.

Parker noted that information on family planning, safe motherhood, hand washing and diarrhoea preventing practices would be given during the campaign, saying that there will also be free distribution of anti-malarial drugs, insecticide treated nets, vitamin A supplements and de-worming drugs.

He thus called on the entire people of the state, captains of industries and non-governmental organizations to support the campaign to ensure success.

In a chat with The Tide, the Head Health Education Unit, Ministry of Health, Mrs. Doris Nria, stated that parents and care givers who reject immunisation both for themselves and their children are exposed to “sickness, misery and death”.

“It has become  expedient to hold this programme at this time because of the increase in maternal and infant mortality, to educate women of childbearing age on health matters and to create awareness on the rise in the lack of after-childbirth care”, she said.

Tonye Nria-Dappa