RSPHCMB Kicks Off MNCHW, Today

The Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board (RSPHCMB) says it is set to commence the Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW), a free health care services to women and children in the State, today.
Acting Director, Community Health Services, RSPHCMB, Dr. Joy Wihioka, said this while addressing Community Mobilisation Officers of National Orientation Agency across the state at a one-day sensitisation meeting in Port Harcourt.
Wihioka stated that the maternal newborn and child health week would begin today, Monday February 28th to March 4th, this year.
According to her, “the program is for five days starting on the 28th of February to the 4th of March 2022 and for free. Every woman is entitled to free deliveries in our healthcare facilities once she has registered for antenatal care in our facilities and has attended antenatal services for four times, then you are entitled to a free delivery in a healthcare facility that’s for after the mnch week but for the week all deliveries are free except cesarean sections”.
She used the opportunity to invite women to access the free healthcare services during the week and the routine immunisation healthcare services even after MNCH week, adding that it is a health facility based exercised, that is, beneficiaries would have to go to a fixed post or a health care facility to access the services.
“The MNCHW has a good number of primary health care services at our facilities which are free during the period especially antenatal care, free antenatal registration in a primary health care centre, deliveries are also free in a primary health care centre,we will be giving out long lasting insecticide treated bed nets, there will be covid-19 vaccination, routine immunisations deworming for children for under five children, we shall also give them vitamin A supplementation, HIV testing and treatment in some of our facilities, family planning is also offered free during the week”.
Wihioka appealed that men, women and caregivers should take advantage of the opportunity the week affords.

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa