A five-day national week dedicated to health interventions has been inaugurated in the state to commemorate the second round of 2018 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week, MNCHW.

Joe Akabuike, the commissioner for Health, while addressing newsmen in his office in Awka said the aim of the week was to improve maternal newborn and child health.

“The exercise aims at delivering intensive package of pro-motive and preventive services, known to be highly cost-effective and result-oriented for improving maternal, newborn and child health,’’ he said.

According to Akabuike some of the interventions that will be provided include Anti-natal care, provision of Folate and Suephadoxine Primethamine, SP, for pregnant women.

Other interventions are immunisation, provision of vitamin A supplementation, de-worming, distribution of long lasting insecticidal net and birth registration.

The benefits of MNCHW are also to increase the coverage of key maternal and newborn child health and access to maternal healthcare interventions by target audience.

It also reduces annual infant mortality rate or death of babies during delivery or in the first week of life.

“The Vitamin A supplement given during the implementation of MNCHW is important for the growth of human cells and boosting of immunity.

“The MNCHW generally is for child’s well-being and good health, and to improve health indices in the state,’’ Akabuike stressed.

The target audience for the programme were children from 6-59 months, and women of child bearing age.

The exercise which took off on Nov. 26 would end on Nov. 30.

The flag-off ceremony heralding the event was held Nov. 27 at Ukwulu, PHC, Dunukofia LGA.

In a speech, Chioma Ezenyimulu, the executive secretary, the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, said the exercise hold at all Government Primary healthcare centres.

Other designated places are General, Teaching, Mission/private hospitals, Churches, Markets and schools in the 21 Local Government Areas of the state. “The exercise is free and safe.”

Ezenyimulu commended health partners such as UNICEF, NPHCDA, WHO and SOML for their support to ASPHCDA, saying that they had always helped in making previous programmes of the agency very successful.