The Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board (PHCMB), has commenced the Maternal New Born and Child Health Week (MNCHW), today in the state.
The State Health Educator, Dr Doris Nria who disclosed this at an advocacy meeting with stakeholders on Maternal Newborn and Child Health, noted that health services for Children, women and men, were all provided to the beneficiaries at no cost to them.
Nria stated that the essence of the MNCHW was to build up immunity of children under the age of five years, women of childbearing age and equally reach out to pregnant women as well as men, adding that the free health services will through Monday to Friday, this week.
She also said issues concerning Covid-19 vaccination and other immunisation interventions were discussed as she used the chance to call on people who are 18 years and above to avail themselves the opportunity of the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination exercise in the state and get vaccinated.
According to her, “today we discussed mainly on maternal newborn and child health program coming up. Under that we were able to discuss issues concerning covid-19 vaccination and equally inform the people about the National Immunisation Plus Days(NIPDs) that is equally coming up. For MNCHW, it’s Monday to Friday and NIPDs is starting on Saturday to end on Monday”.
Focal Person for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, PHCMB, Dr Emem Jaja on her part noted some of the health services to be rendered to children under the age of five.
Jaja said, “our key interventions for children under the age of five is vitamin A supplementation. Vitamin A is a child survival intervention and it is very important for children under the age of 5 to build their immune system, strengthening their vision, to prevent infections and to help them grow better. We will also be providing deworming tablets for children under the age of 5 also, to prevent worm infestation, prevent malnutrition, prevent anaemia. We will also be providing nutrition screening services for children also under the age of 5 years”.
Jaja also noted some of the free health services that will be provided for pregnant women and men who assist their women to the centres including women of child bearing age.
She further said “for our pregnant women we will also be providing antenatal care services free of charge, in this week delivery services will also be free, we have routine drugs that will be made available to pregnant women who visit our facilities we also have provision of malaria medicine for prevention of malaria in pregnant women we have family planning/ child spacing services available and birth registration. For the men who will be encouraging their women to visit the faster the health facility or coming with them will have some services available to them like the blood pressure screening HIV Testing Services family planning services at no cost to them

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa