In adherence to the decision of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum taken in 2009 to address the rising maternal and child morbidity in Nigeria, which stipulated the implementation of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) twice yearly nationwide, the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has directed health officers to ensure comprehensive implementation of all stages of the policy in the state.
Governor Bello urged the health officials to specially pay close attention to the needs of women, children and nursing mothers.
He gave the directive through the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Folashade Ayoade, at an event in Lokoja, the state’s capital in north-central Nigeria
The event, according to Channels TV report, was organised to officially flag off the week-long free healthcare services for women and children to mark the 2017 MNCHW in the state.
The governor said his administration was poised at bringing good health to the doorstep of everyone living within the state.
He directed the Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Haruna, to ensure that every stage of the exercise was comprehensively covered.
Governor Bello also ordered the administrations of the 21 local government areas in the state to ensure the success of the programme.
In his remarks, Dr. Haruna thanked the governor for his determination to introduce the ‘Health Plus’ programme.
He expressed hopes that the programme would aid the renovation, remodeling and re-equipment of health facilities in order to reduce mortality rate in the state.
The highpoint of the event was the immunisation of children which was administered by the Secretary to the State Government.
It was witnessed by representatives from WHO, UNICEF, Federal Ministry of Health, Centre for Integrated Health Programmes, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, as well as top government officials and nursing mothers in the state.
