Benin – Edo State government is to commence the second batch of the 2018 Maternal, New-born and Child Health Week (MNCHW) from November 19th – 23rd, 2018 across all the 18 local government areas of the State.
The bi-annual programme being sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with the Edo State Ministry of Health is targeted at immunizing children from 0-59 months, and women of child bearing age from 15-49 years.
Mrs. Kate Oguigo, WHO Representative, while speaking at the one-day sensitization meeting and media orientation workshop held in Benin City, on Thursday, talked on the overview of the social mobilization for the programme, which is to build community trust ahead of the campaign, being the recipients of the programme.
Other speakers at the event were Mrs. Charity Usifo, State information officer (SIO); Mrs. Faith Ireye, State Coordinator, WHO; Chief Winnie Aigbojie, WHO LGAs Facilitator; Mrs. Sarah Ojo-Edokpayi, State Reproductive Health Coordinator, and among.
Mrs Oguigo noted that social mobilization was to provide a coordinated approach that put everybody at same level as well as communicate technically correct message to targeted population areas.
“The key influencers are opinion leaders, influential persons, respected persons in the community. Religious and traditional leaders as well as community and village leaders, the media, NGOs, CSOs, FBOs and churches.
She however listed some of the challenges being faced in ensuring the targeted population received the message, such as lack of adequate information Education and Communication (IEC); non-functional World Development Committee (WDC) in many wards and inadequate megaphone for grassroots mobilization.
Others are poor engagement of traditional and religious leaders, inadequate and late or none release of social mobilization fund, poor and inadequate training of town announcers which lead to delivery inaccurate messaging, among others.
In the same vein, Mrs. Ehigie Efe Helen, Edo State Ministry of Health Educator confirmed that the campaign targeted at vaccinations is to prevent maternal and child morbidity, adding that the programme would be at all health and designated centres across all the wards in the eighteen councils areas in the state.
“The interventions include immunization of children 0-59 months, health education on exclusive breast feeding for the first six months, complementary feeding; prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
“Simple hand washing technique using soap and water, Personal hygiene; prevention of malaria using long lasting insecticidal nets.
“Birth registration; Vitamin A supplementation to children aged 6 months to 5 years; family planning services; deworming drugs to children; ante-natal service including malaria prevention and treatment, administration of tetanus diphtheria vaccine to pregnant women, and nutrition screening.
“In a single visit, all health interventions will be provided for mother and child. It is a package of high impact, low cost preventive/ curative services. It is cost effective. Repeated OPV will boost the child’s immunity.
“All services rendered during the week long programme are free. Mothers, caregivers should take their children to the nearest health centres,” she declared.
The post WHO Sponsored 2018 Maternal, Child Health Week Kicks Off November 19 In Edo appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
WHO Sponsored 2018 Maternal, Child Health Week Kicks Off November 19 In Edo
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