By Our Reporter
Dr. Linda Ayade, the wife of Cross River State Governor, Senator Benedict Ayade Thursday sued for Cross Riverians to patronize recognized and regulated health facilities in other to boost maternal and child health in the state.
Ayade stated this while flagging off the first round of the 2017 Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week in Odukpani local government area where she appealed to women to shun prayer houses, faith based organizations and advice to deliver at homes.
She said the state had achieved notable strides in the Primary Health Care system and advised them to regularly attend antenatal and post natal clinics and ensure their children are properly immunized against dangerous diseases that could be life threatening.
Also, she sued for support for the State Health Insurance Scheme tagged Ayadecare and its component, Ayade Home Health Initiative and commended developing partners for their support to the state health sector.
In a similar vein, the wife of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Barrister Binta Lebo called for improved sensitization for rural dwellers to make use of the free services available at health centers to prevent losing their children, a situation she described as “very painful.”
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong and the Director General of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Betta Edu in their remarks decried the high mortality rate of 576 deaths per 100,000 life births and listed the benefits of the MNCH week.
“The Governor has provided free services such as immunization, malaria testing, HIV test, distribution of LLINs, delivery kit and a lot of commodities for our mothers that will be going on concurrently across the 18 LGAs, 196 wards, General Hospitals and PHC in the State,” said Dr. Asibong.
“The MNCH Week is one week that is packed with a full basket of free services which is targeted at improving healthcare of mothers and children. We are grateful to the Governor for making available free commodities for pregnant women and children as there will be receiving free immunization, malaria test, HIV counseling and testing, free Vitamin A supplement deworming tablets, PMTCT, nutrition classes among others,” said Dr. Betta.
The intervention is aimed at saving at least 700,000 Children under-five with some 568,000 women and newborns to access free maternal health services for mothers in the next one week and beyond.
The representative of a partner, Pathfinders International who was simply identified as Mrs. Ikpeme said her organization have made effort with other development partners to make sure these services are given to mothers and their children She noted Cross River State is the only state in Nigeria enjoying Saving Mothers Giving Lives Initiatives this is because the State the is highly resolved to reduce maternal and newborn mortality.