ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government in conjunction with the United Nations Children Emergency Fund and World Health Organisation has kicked off a health campaign to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in the state.
The wife of Bayelsa State Governor, Mrs Gloria Diri, who represented Governor Douye Diri, reiterated the government’s commitment to revitalise primary health care facilities in local government areas across the state.
Mrs Diri flagged off the event, tagged, ‘Optimized Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week’ yesterday at the OMPADEC field in Amarata, Yenagoa, the state capital.
She noted that the programme would extend the coverage of key maternal and child health interventions to reduce maternal, newborn and under-five mortality across the state.
She said the overall aim of the scheme was to increase population coverage at low cost and promote utilisation of health facilities by pregnant women by encouraging them to have focused antenatal visits.
Mrs Diri said other strategies to achieve the goal would comprise immunisation, deworming of children, distribution of long lasting insecticide treated nets, provision of family planning and birth control information services among others.
She added that the government is ever ready to create and adopt good strategies to improve Reproductive Maternal, Newborn Child Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Pabara Igwele, said the burden of maternal and child morbidities in the state was unacceptably high which mainly occurs during labour, delivery and immediate postpartum period.
He stated that an effective means of reducing the burden was the provision of preventive measures or early treatment to women and newborns at the primary health care centres.
Igwele assured the people that he would not relent in the pursuit of the cause as he remains committed to strengthening primary health care, a major platform towards achieving universal health coverage.
The Chairman, Bayelsa State Primary Health Care Board (BSPHCB), Mrs. Victoria Denenu, said the OMNCHW affords women and children access to Vitamin A supplementation, provision of iron folate to pregnant women, malaria prevention services among others.
Also, the Executive Secretary, BSPHCB, Dr. Martins Bekesu, said simple interventions such as proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, therapeutic interventions for the management of diarrhea and pneumonia could save a major portion of under-five deaths.
The State Coordinator, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Edmond Egbe, said the child health week would enable his organisation to reach out to mothers and children in the rural areas.
Egbe thanked the First Lady and Health Commissioner for their effort, saying it was an indication that would give partners and other stakeholders the courage to visit Bayelsa State and to support government’s activities.
Other development partners such as UNICEF and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in their goodwill messages expressed enthusiasm to contribute to the success of the programme and other health intervention programmes.