By Bianca Iboma
In a bid to strengthen healthcare delivery service and reduce the rate of maternal and child mortality, Ogun State government has set up another innovative scheme to ensure qualitative health for mothers and children.
The wife of the Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun, who spoke during the flag-off ceremony of the scheme, said the December 2017 Round of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) was aimed at preventing infants’ mortality rates as well as their mothers.
In her remarks at the event, held at Sango Primary Health Centre, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the State, Mrs. Amosun assured the people that the state was committed to improving maternal health and reducing child mortality.
She said no woman should die in the process of giving birth, neither should children die in the process of coming to life.
Her words: “I strongly believe that women should have access to qualitative healthcare services that can take care of her during and after pregnancy. It is sad when a woman dies in the process of giving birth or children die in the process of coming to life.
“It is now relevant for government to strengthen the healthcare system in order to reduce maternal, and child mortality.
“I am speaking confidently that the state government is committed to improving maternal health and child mortality would be reduced as soon as possible.”
Mrs. Amosun emphasised that the MNCHW campaign was critical at ensuring progress in the realisation of the state’s children’s right to good health care and best start in life, adding that the scheme equally aimed at improving the healthcare-seeking behaviour of the whole family, especially pregnant women and care givers of under five children.
Earlier in his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, enjoined women and mothers of children from ages 0-5 to take advantage of the programme.
He highlighted some of the free health services to be provided, which included: routine immunisation, de-worming, malnutrition testing, and vitamin supplementation, free counseling and testing on HIV/AIDs as well as enlightenment seminar on health education and other key household practices.
Ipaye said as part of the measures put in place to boost primary health care service delivery, the present administration would continue to build and renovate defective health centres, employ new personnel, train and retrain existing health workers, provide drugs, as well as maintain cold and central medical stores in the state.
The Chairman, Sango/Ijoko Local Council Development Area, Hon. Fatai Lawal, said maximum support and encouragement would be given to all health programme in the state, which called for active participation of every citizen in the state.
Lawal stated further that new health facilities were being built, while existing ones were undergoing renovation in order to elevate the standard of service delivery in all local government of the state.