FROM\; PAUL ORUDE, BAUCHI
The Bauchi State Government has earmarked the sum of N16.8 million for the 2017 second round of Maternal Neonatal Child Health Week (MNCH) in the state.
This was disclosed by the Executive Chairman of Bauchi State Primary HealthCare Development Agency (BSPHCDA), Mr Adamu Gamawa, while briefing newsmen, in Bauchi.
Gamawa said that the exercise would be conducted in 646 facilities across the 323 wards in the state targeted towards 1,351,025 under five children and 341,059 pregnant mothers.
He said that the interventions included Vitamin A, Iron and Fesolate, counseling on HIV/AIDS, Nutritional screening and referral on nutrition, Malaria drugs, among others.
“The services will be provided free in 646 facilities that is two facilities per ward and it will last for five days starting from 20th to 24th November.
“Supports were received from partners such as United Nations for Children Fund (UNICEF) provided 996,500 doses of vitamin A, World Health Organization gave technical support, Plan International HC3 and Helen Keller international also supported in social mobilization,” he said.
Gamawa commended other line Ministries in the state for their support towards discharging such exercise that would impact on public health.
Flagging-off the second round of the 2017 Maternal, New-Born and Child Health Week, on Tuesday, at Town Maternity Bayan Fada, wife of the state governor, Hajia Hadiza Abubakar, expressed concern over the high rates of maternal and child morbidity and mortality in the North East.
Hajia Abubakar who was represented by the wife of Deputy Governor, Hajia Fatima Nuhu Gidado, said the five days dedicated to celebrate the MNCH week, was part of the present administration’s efforts to improve maternal, new-born and child health in the state.
According to her, the 5-point health agenda of Governor Mohammed Abubakar is to ensure quality health care delivery services for the citizens of the state particularly women and children.
She thereby called for collective efforts in reducing maternal and child mortality in the state and the country at large and appealed to parents and wards to take their children to health facilities for MNCH week.
Earlier speaking, the Permanent Secretary, ministry of Health Dr Sa’idu Aliyu Gital, congratulated the SPHCDA for the excellent planning and arrangement of the week long activity.
Gital expressed confidence that several national and state health policies, programmes and initiatives like National Health Act, the PHC Under One Roof (PHCOUR), Nigeria State Health Investment (NSHIP) and the Saving One Million Lives Programme for Results (SOML P for R) have had direct impact on PHC services.
“In addition to the above, the ward minimum health care package and the integrated maternal, New-Born, and Child Health Initiative (IMNCHI) were introduced by the federal government to provide implementation strategy of MNCH has since been accepted in Bauchi State,” he said.
He assured that by the time these programmes and initiatives are fully implemented and rolled out, the poor health indices would in the state would be no more.
Gital said: “With these and many others on the drawing board, government’s commitment toward addressing maternal, neo-natal and child health services is no more in doubt”