The 2019 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) week campaign for women and children aged 0-59 months has commenced in Adamawa.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in the border town of Gurin in Fufore Local Government Area, the Commissioner of Health, Prof. Abdullahi Isa, said 452 health facility had been designated for the exercise across the state.
Isa said services to be provided alongside immunization against childhood killer diseases included screening of acute malnutrition, deworming and administration of vitamin ‘A’ to children, provision of antenatal care and iron-folate to pregnant women.
“Also there will be distribution of mosquito nets, health education messages on key house hold practice,HIV/AIDS testing and counseling as well as child spacing services,” Isa said.
The commissioner said that to ensure the success of the exercise, senior supervisors had been posted to all the 21 local government areas to monitor and supervise the exercise.
Speaking, the Executive Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Agency, Dr Batulu Mohammad, said during the one week exercise, parents were expected to take their children to any of the 452 health facility within the first three days.
“For three-days services will be provided at the facility, while the remaining days would be use for house-to-house service,” Mohammad said.
She lauded the support and intervention of projects like the Aisha Buhari’ Future Assured, Save One Million Lives (SOML), WHO, and UNICEF for their sustain participation in the week and in facilitating healthcare delivery in the state.
In her remarks, the wife of the state governor, Hajiya Lami Fintiri, who assured her husband priority to healthcare delivery, urged traditional and religious leaders to mobilize pregnant mother with their children to make maximum use of the free interventions.
In their respective remarks, the Chairman of Fufore LG, Alhaji Musa Umaru, and the District Head of Gurin, Alhaji Ibrahim Yero, thanked government for choosing Gurin for the flag-off and assured that they would mobilize their people to ensure 100 per cent success of the exercise in the LGA.
