By Francis Sardauna
The Katsina State Government has established an Emergency Maternal and Child Health Intervention Centre to tackle prevailing cases of maternal and child mortality in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Mr. Nuhu Yakubu, disclosed this at an event to mark the World Breastfeeding Week, organized by the wife of the governor, Dr. Zakkiya Aminu Masari.
He said the establishment of the emergency centre is part of precautionary measures by the state government to address health challenges confronting children and pregnant women in the state.
He explained that the centre would significantly improve healthcare delivery system and address what he termed unacceptable high number of maternal and child mortality in the state.
Other precautionary measures taken to avert child mortality, he said, is the establishment of an Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination Centre that would greatly improve the coverage and quality of routine immunization across the state.
He said government has also inaugurated an implementation committee, which has already accessed the infrastructural and equipment gaps in the Primary Healthcare Development Centres across the 34 local government areas for revitalization.
He reiterated that the revitalization of the primary healthcare delivery system would go a long way in boosting and ensuring the standardisation of its operations, particularly in rural areas and communities.
He explained that the state government has done tremendously well in revamping its primary healthcare centres with adequate supply of drugs and equipment, but needed enabling laws to do more.
On his part, the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Shamsudeen Yahaya, said the breast feeding week is celebrated every year to promote improved health of the babies around the world
”This year’s World Breastfeeding Week focuses on the impact of infant feeding on the environment and climate change and the imperative to protect, promote and support breastfeeding for the health of the planet,” he said.
Earlier, Mrs. Masari said with breastfeeding, mothers share elements of their immune system which provides babies with a protective umbrella as their immune system develops, hence the need for exclusive breastfeeding.
