Understanding Maternal, Newborn, Child Health

Often times when
government comes up with certain initiatives meant for the good of the citizens, the level of reception or acceptability accorded such initiatives, makes or mars the overall intention of the provider.
Sometimes it is considered that the service provider may not have done his homework adequately with regards to the sensitization of the target group on the need to explore and acess the initiative.
Other times, certain factors possibly religious, cultural and illiteracy may pose serious inhibitions to the potential beneficiaries.
The question of why a sustained increase in infant and maternal mortality after the much effort put in by past and successive governments to bring to the barest minimum its menace, has remained a rhetorical one.
Could it be that the government has not sensitized its populace enough or that the populace has decided to pay deaf ear at whose detriment?
Maternal, newborn and child health is a high profile health initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria with the support of UNICEF aimed primarily to promote the health and well being of mothers and children as well as fast tracking the achievement of the 4th and 5th Millennium Development Goals(MDGs).
Women and children are known to be faced with major health challenges which have resulted to an unacceptably high maternal, newborn and child mortality rates in the country. Available records revealed that infant mortality rate is 75 deaths per 1,000 live births. Child mortality is 88 deaths per 1,000 live births; the overall under-5 mortality rate is 157 per 1,000 live births and a woman’s chance of dying from pregnancy and child birth is 1 in 13.
While newborn and under-5 mortality cases can be attributed to vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, yellow fever, tetanus, diphtheria, petusis etc, the major causes of maternal deaths include hae morrhage, infections, obstructed labour, unsafe abortion, malaria and anaemia.
Maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) seeks to reverse this trend by delivering a set of high impact intervention aimed at reducing maternal, neonatal and child mortality.
It is focused on achieving a more integrated  approach with the aim of achieving the highest possible coverage with vaccine preventable diseases.
Maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) attempts to kill many birds with one stone.
While children within 0-5 years are vaccinated against polio, measles, tuberculosis, yellow fever, tetanus, diphtheria  petursis diseases, mothers within 15-49 years are vaccinated against tetanus infection.
In order to achieve overall improved health for precious mothers and children with an intention of moving the heath system to the next level, MNCH emphasizes the need to institute the culture of attending health facilities  for immunization.
This initiative can be acessed in all government health institutions. Availing yourself of the opportunity will definitely make good the intention of the government.

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi