From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Wife of the Governor of Abia State, Mrs. Priscilla Otti has said the present administration in the state was committed to ensuring no mother or child dies of available causes in the state.
Mrs. Otti who stated this during the 2025 Round One Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week in Abia said it was to achieve this that government was intensifying its sensitization and interventionist programmes in the health sector.
Represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Maureen Aghukwa, the Governor’s wife noted that government’s efforts in the health sector underscored the state’s determination to reduce maternal and child mortality caused by preventable conditions.
“Any initiative that will reduce the mortality rate among mothers and children is not just welcome, it is necessary, and it has the full support of Governor Alex Otti,” she affirmed.
Mrs. Otti urged mothers to make use of the equipped and renovated primary healthcare centers within their communities, exclusively breastfeed their newborns, and avoid patronizing quacks.
She praised Governor Otti’s administration for prioritization of the health sector and called on health workers to embrace continuous learning and practical skill-building programmes to serve the people better.
She appealed to the media and traditional rulers to become agents of change by mobilizing women to seek proper care in primary healthcare centers, thereby reducing the burden on healthcare professionals and improving healthcare across the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, lauded the unwavering support of Governor Otti to the health sector.
He described the MNCH Week as a “clarion call for collective action to ensure mothers and children live healthy, fulfilling lives.”
The Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs. Blessing Felix, highlighted the inter-ministerial and inter-agency collaboration powering the MNCH Week.
She said the partnership between the Abia State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, the Office of the Wife of the Governor, Ministries of Health, Women Affairs, Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, and development partners like UNICEF, WHO, and PanAfricare is a testament to shared commitment.