Oyo commences MNCH Week Monday

The Oyo State Government will this morning start another round of Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and the programme will hold across all the Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.

The programme, which will run till January 12, will involve health officers going round schools to administer Vitamin on pupils.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, who disclosed this, explained that during MNCH week, pregnant women, nursing mothers and children between 0-59 months will benefit from the free medical services including Vitamin A, HIV screening, malnutrition screening, noting that there will also be provision of family planning commodities, birth registration, deworming tablets for children of 12-59 months as well as provision of Malaria drugs for pregnant women.

Dr Adeduntan said that parents of children between 6 months to 59 months are expected to bring their wards to the health facilities and outreach centres provided by the government for the programme, stating that the programme will hold at 702 health facilities as well as 702 outreaches.

He pointed out that children under 5 years would benefit from Vitamin A supplementation that will be administered on them, saying that Vitamin A is essential for the targeted children in order to boost their immune system, improve their sight as well as to prevent measles and other related skin diseases.

The health commissioner stated that the programme is organised in collaboration with Save One Million lives for Result, stressing “Pregnant women and nursing mothers are therefore reminded that this 5-day nutrition and health interventions are free.”