6th January, 2018
Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan
The Oyo State Government has announced that a round of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, MNCH, week would hold between January 8 and 12, 2018.
The State Government said that the programme would hold across all the Local Government Areas, LGAs, and Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, in the state, adding that health officers would also go round schools to administer Vitamin A to the pupils.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, who disclosed this, explained that during MNCH week, pregnant women, nursing mothers and children between 0-59 months would benefit from the free medical services, including Vitamin A, HIV screening, malnutrition screening, noting that there would also be provision of family planning commodities, birth registration, deworming tablets for children of 12-59 months as well as provision of Malaria drugs for pregnant women.
Adeduntan said that parents of children between six months to 59 months were expected to bring their wards to the health facilities and outreach centres provided by the government for the programme, stating that the programme would hold at 702 health facilities as well as 702 outreaches.
He pointed out that children under five years would benefit from Vitamin A supplementation that would be administered on them, saying that Vitamin A is essential for the targeted children in order to boost their immune system, improve their sight as well as to prevent measles and other related skin diseases.
Adedutan noted that the programme was organized in collaboration with Save One Million lives for Result, stressing, “Pregnant women and Nursing mothers are therefore reminded that this 5-day nutrition and health interventions are free.”