Govt to reduce maternal mortality

Dr Abdul-Azeez Adeduntan, the Commissioner for Health, told newsmen in Ibadan at a news conference to herald the 2016 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health week (MNCHW).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bi-annual weeklong event will commence from Dec. 12 to Dec. 16 across the 33 local government areas of the state.

Adeduntan said that the state government would support women and children with free health services to enhance their wellbeing.

“MNCHW targets children and maternal survival using high impact interventions approved by the National Council on Health in the year 2009.

“Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week is a bi-annual week-long event of accelerated actions to promote and substantially contributes to improving maternal and child health indicators in Nigeria,” he said.

Adeduntan said that maternal mortality was on the high side, saying record indicated that 576 per 100,000 birth of women die at child birth.

The commissioner said that the state recorded 75 per 1,000 death “which is the worst’’.

“Our effort is targeted at these vulnerable groups. MNCHW is a strategy aimed at delivering child survival and maternal services in an integrated manner,” he said.

Adeduntan pledged that the state government would provide children and women with interventions such as Vitamin A supplement to children between age bracket of zero and 59 months.

The commissioner also listed immunisation to children under one year with vaccine preventable childhood diseases as part of the things to be provided.

He said that the proposed MNCHW sought to give all the aforementioned interventions to eligible children in the 702 public health facilities across the 33 local governments.

“All the interventions are free and safe in all the designated health facilities for women and children in the state.

“During this period, mothers and caregivers are implored to take their children from zero age to 59 months to any of the health facilities to access these interventions.”

Adeduntan, on behalf of the government appreciated the partners, which are UNICEF, WHO, Vitamin Angel, Food Basket of Nigeria, NPHCDA and others, who had contributed to the programme.