NAN-HG-4
Immunisation
Yetunde Fatungase
Sagamu (Ogun), July 20, 2017 (NAN) No fewer than two million children from ages 0-5 and 270,000 pregnant women will be immunised during the Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) in Ogun.
Gov. Ibikunle Amosun made this known on Thursday, while flagging off the July 2017 round of the week in Sagamu.
Amosun, represented by his Deputy, Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Onanuga, said that the present administration had targeted 270,000 women to benefit from the health intervention.
He said that the programme was specifically designed to reduce maternal and child mortality in the state.
‘’We will continue to focus on people-oriented health intervention that will touch ordinary citizens directly by providing quality healthcare that is accessible to all,’’ he said.
Earlier, Dr Babatunde Ipaye, the State Commissioner for Health, enjoined women and mothers of children from ages 0-5 to take advantage of the programme.
Ipaye highlighted some of the free health services to include: routine immunisation, de-worming, malnutrition testing, Vitamin A supplementation, free counselling and testing on HIV/AIDS and health education on key household practices.
The commissioner said that as part of the measures put in place to boost primary healthcare delivery, the present administration would continue to build and renovate defective health centres.
He said that the state would also employ new personnel, train and retrain the existing health workers, provide drugs, maintain cold and central medical stores in the state.
In his remarks, Mr Fafu Awoyemi, the Chairman, Sagamu West Local Council Development Area, lauded the effort of the state government for making primary healthcare accessible to the most vulnerable groups, especially pregnant women and children.
Awoyemi said that the step would help to improve the quality of life of the people.
Responding, a beneficiary, Mrs Iyabo Adegoke, thanked the state government for bringing primary healthcare services to the doorstep of the less privileged in the society.
According to her, it is an indication that state government is committed to drastically reduce maternal mortality rate in the state. (NAN)
YAF/KOLE/GOK
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Edited by Remi Koleoso/Olagoke Olatoye