SPOTLIGHTS
- The MNCH Week aims to improve the health of mothers and children
- The program will provide essential healthcare services, including vaccinations and antenatal care
- The northeast zone has the highest maternal mortality rate in Nigeria
- The WHO and USAID are providing funding and medical supplies to support the initiative
- UNICEF, ICR, and CRS are also partnering in the intervention
From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
The Borno State government and the World Health Organization (WHO) have said that maternal, newborn, and child healthcare interventions will help improve the health and well-being of mothers and children.
Speaking at the launch of the first round of the 2024 Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) Week in Maiduguri, Borno Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Professor Baba Malama Gana, said the intervention, from 10 to 14 June, is a collective resolve to reduce child mortality and enhance the well-being of mothers.
“The intervention is designed to significantly increase the preventive and curative services for children and mothers,” he announced.
Executive Secretary of the Borno Primary Healthcare Development Board, Professor Mohammed Arab, explained that children under five and nursing mothers would be covered by the intervention.
He further explained that the week’s activities would include the provision of vitamin A supplements, deworming, antenatal care, HIV testing and counselling, and health promotion, among others. He commended the WHO and other partners for their various interventions in the state.
The WHO State Coordinator, Dr Salisu Audu, noted in his remark that Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Week is a crucial public health initiative for promoting the well-being of mothers and children.
Represented by the organisation’s Public Health Officer, Dr Aisha Kadai, the coordinator said the northeast zone has the highest maternal mortality rate (MMR) – 1,549 per 100,000 live births.
“The health of mothers is inextricably linked to newborn and child mortality and morbidity rates. A child whose mother dies has an increased risk of dying as well, and those that survive the critical period of infancy have a very low chance of attaining their full potential,” he explained.
He called on all partners to continue to collaborate to strengthen maternal, newborn, and child health in the area.
He said that, aside from the MNCH intervention, the WHO, with funding support from the United States Agency for International Development/Bureau for Humanitarian Aid (USAID/BHA), donated assorted medical consumables to Borno State.
The launch was attended by other partners, including UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee (ICR), and Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
