10th June, 2014
The Minister of State for FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide, said there had been no case of wild polio virus when only one was recorded in January 2013 in Abuja.
Akinjide made the remark at the inauguration of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week in Abuja on Monday themed: “A package of Care for a Life Time of Better Health for the Family.”
She said the administration had put in place programmes designed to improve the health and welfare of women and children in FCT.
These, she said, included the free ante-natal care, free under-five health care services and distribution of long lasting insecticide nets to households.
She said the week would be used to focus attention on the procurement of life-saving drugs by the FCT Primary Health Care Development Board for distribution.
The minister stressed that efforts would be made to ensure that services provided during and after the week were of high quality.
“The FCTA has built capacities of health workers needed for this exercise. We have also updated the knowledge of community members for identification and prompt referral of common childhood illnesses,” she said.
Akinjide said the FCTA placed the attainment of the MDGs by 2015 on top priority hence efforts would be made to accomplish the target.
He appealed to participants to take special care to ensure that no eligible woman, new-born or child was left behind.
She commended the FCTA health care delivery partners in the private and public sector for their assistance and called for more assistance from those who were yet to assist.
She said the November round of the maternal, new born and child health week’s Vitamin A coverage rate recorded 87 per cent while 59 per cent was recorded for tuberculosis vaccines.
She added that 57 per cent was recorded for measles while 89 per cent was recorded for birth registration for children under 5 years and 22 per cent for ferrous foliate for pregnant women.