The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has flagged off Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week in the state.
It is one of the initiatives for reduction of illness and death among women, newborn and children in the country.
This is being organised by Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHCDA) in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health (SMOH) and Partners.
The one week long activity which was launched at Umueri Civic Centre, Anambra East Local Government Area is now optimized with the inclusion of COVID-19 vaccination for adults as it aims to improve livelihood as well as reduce morbidity and mortality rates of the people of the state.
Governor Soludo during the flag-off, urged pregnant women and caregivers to take advantage of the exercise and visit health facilities or hospitals close to them with their wards to reap the benefits of the programme.
The governor represented by his Deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim assured the people that the government would see to the refurbishment of health facilities in their communities which would meet their needs in healthcare service delivery.
He educated the women on the importance of nutrition, eating balanced diet and nutritional supplements such as the Vitamin A supplementation in the growth and well-being of children.
He also enlightened the people on what to do in the envisaged flooding while encouraging them to move to holding camps before the incident occurs.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike emphasized on the need and importance of the MNCHW which offers various degrees of healthcare services for pregnant women and children less than five years of age.