The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has said that maternal and child deaths and disabilities could be avoided if preventive measures are taken and adequate care is available.
Orelope-Adefulire, who stated this at the grand finale of this year’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week celebration in the state, noted that since the adoption of the Week nationally in 2010, more women are now aware of their roles in order to reduce maternal and child morbidity.
She said: “The essence of the programme is to essentially make mothers aware particularly of those things they need to do to ensure the safety and healthy living of our children. This reflects our collective will and positive attitude towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Four and Five by the year 2015 which is to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health.”
The deputy governor explained that the adoption of the Week has also brought with it an enlarged scope of activities that not only focus on the young children, but also mothers and newborns in an integrated manner.
Orelope-Adefulire pointed out that the health of mothers and under five year children is one of the most important issues that determines the well being of a nation.
She thus expressed her displeasure at the fact that many women still die from normal, life-enhancing process of child-birth as a result of largely ignorance and lack of education.
“It is for this reason that I fully lend my voice and support to the new integrated maternal, newborn and child health strategy already adopted in Nigeria as a strategy to tackle head-on the reduction of maternal and child mortality,” Orelope-Adefulire said.
She asserted that the home-grown maternal mortality reduction programme that will soon be formally launched by the state Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has a great potential of drastically improving on maternal and child health indices.
Orelope-Adefulire noted that services offered during the MNCH week such as routine immunization, Vitamin A supplementation, distribution of insecticides treated nets and antenatal drugs, de-worming of under five year old children, registration of births, growth monitoring and promotion, screening for malnutrition, tetanus toxoid vaccine for women of child bearing age, appropriate counselling and refferal as well as health education on key household and community practices have helped to increase the demand for health services.
“I strongly believe that the implementation of these activities have significantly contributed to the attainment of the objective of improving the demand for healthcare services on the part of health caregivers. In addition, the suppliers of these services (primary health centres) have had to scale up their activities to accommodate the increase in demand,” she said.
The deputy governor advised mothers to continue to avail themselves of the preventive and protective healthcare services even after the end of the MNCH week just as she urged all men to increase their supportive role in the challenging tasks of caring for mothers and children stressing that collective effort will help reduce maternal and child mortality
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, explained that the MNCH week is aimed at promoting the health seeking behaviours of caregivers and increasing the utilization of the primary health care centres in the state.
Adeshina opined that the primary healthcare centres should be the first point of contact with the community especially in the provision of basic and essential service hence the revitalization of primary health centres in the state.
“A lot is presently being done in the area of renovation, infrastructural development, capacity building of health workers, recruitment of health workers, provision of basic emergency obstetrics equipment, provision of basic obstetric drugs, community mobilization and sensitization,” Adeshina said.
The Special Adviser commended various development partners for supporting the MNCH Week but admonished women to always make use of the primary healthcare centers as all basic services experienced during the week are continually available at all the primary health care centres in the state.
“I implore all our caregivers; mothers, fathers, relatives and anyone living with children, elders and community leaders to ensure that all under five year old children, pregnant women, adolescent girls and husbands within our communities patronize any of these health centres that is closest to them; to avail themselves of the integrated health services,” she said.
The high point of the MNCH Week grand finale was the crowning of this year’s Princes and Princess by the deputy governor.