Rivers Holds Maternal/Child Health Week, Monday

The Rivers State Health Care Management Board in conjunction with World Health Organisation (WHO) and development partners would hold its Maternal and Child Health week, Monday, with a call on every pregnant woman to access the services of  the week for their health and that of their babies.
Speaking to The Tide shortly after the sensitisation meeting with stakeholders on Maternal/Neonatal and Child Health at the state Ministry of Healthy, yesterday, the State Health Educator, Dr Doris Nria said the programme would focus on reducing maternal mortality and neonatal disabilities among infants and children as well as strengthen the maternal and child health knowledge of mothers.
Describing the programme state-owned and as all-encompassing, Nria said it would be carried out simultaneously in all the primary health facilities across the 23 local government areas of the state.
Nria said “this programme is all-encompassing because it will cover such areas as malaria, HIV/AID, malnutrition, health talks, immunisation, births and deaths registration, issuance of birth certificates to children, vitamin A, child spacing among others. To this end, there is the need for all child bearing age women, pregnant women and mothers to avail themselves of the services provided through this programme for their health benefits and that of their children”.
Speaking during the interactive session, the chairman, State Social Mobilisation Committee, Mrs Anty Fubara stressed the need for child spacing for the health, social and economic well-being of the family.
Explaining child spacing as the resting period for nursing mothers between delivery and the next pregnancy, Fubara said child spacing offers great benefits to all members of the household.
In her words, “there are lots of benefits accruing from child spacing for the woman, the man, the child and even the nation. Child spacing helps the man to become physically, socially, mentally and economically prepared to face the challenges of pregnancy, delivery, nursing and care of the mother. It provides adequate opportunity and time to inculcate good moral behaviours to his family and prevent against having extra-marital affairs therefore, reduces the fear of contracting sexually transmitted diseases”.
Fubara who noted that frequent pregnancies and deliveries without resting periods causes the tissues of the mother to become weak and vulnerable during labour processes said child spacing helps the mother to regain the body tissues lost during labour and delivery as well as protect against the problem of uterine prolapsed.
“The benefit for the child includes the child enjoying a long and adequate care from parents, enjoy a strong mother-child bond which gives the child the assurance of safety and help him/her escape child abuse and delinquency”, she stated.
Fubara further revealed that child spacing was of utmost benefit to the nation, as it ensures development by balancing population growth with resources generation, surplus for capital and social investments as well as improving healthy standard of parents and children.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu