The Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahaab Adegbenro says the state government has approved N300m for intensive care of pregnant women and physically challenged persons in the state.

Adegbenro made this known on Tuesday when he inaugurated the November 2018 Maternal, New-born and Child Health week in Akure.

According to him, the funds approved by Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu will go a long way in taking care of vulnerable people in various public hospitals.

The commissioner lauded the present administration for the establishment of five additional mother and child hospitals across the three senatorial districts of the state for better healthcare delivery.

On the MNCH week, Adegbenro said it was a bi-annual activity to provide a strategic window for cheaper health interventions.

Also, wife of the governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu, said that public enlightenment, community mobilisation and mass administration of drugs were effective tools of delivering qualitative health services.

She said activities of the week would include Vitamin A supplementation, screening for malnutrition for children of six to 59 months; routine immunisation and tetanus toxoid vaccine for pregnant women.

Others include promotion of hand washing, exclusive breast-feeding, birth registration of 0-18yrs, administration of ferrous sulphate for pregnant women and HIV counselling and testing.

Mrs Akeredolu appealed to pregnant women and mothers to be available at any of the 586 primary health facilities spread across the state between Nov. 25 and 29.

She said that teams of health workers would also visit schools and aged persons to administer services that were age-appropriate.
“In line with our Olori Connection Initiative, it is my conviction that the `Oloris’ (wives of traditional rulers) are important vessels for conveying the objectives of MNCHW to mothers in all our communities across the state.

It gladdens my heart to know that social mobilization activities conducted in various LGAs prior to the commencement of this programme include visits to traditional rulers and their Oloris,’’ she said. (NAN)