Kogi trains 105 maternal child health workers for MNCH week

Kogi state government has commenced training of over 105 health officers for effective implementation of Maternal and Neonatal Child Health (MNCHW) week slated for July 17 to 21, at the community level across the state.

The Kogi state chairman, Maternal and Neonatal Child Health Nutrition Officer and MNCHW Focal Person, Mr. Bolarinwa, disclosed this in Lokoja last week at a two-day training programme for the health workers from the 21 local government areas of the state.

He explained that the health officers include: local immunisation officers, nutrition coordinators, maternal and child health coordinators, malaria elimination officers and state technical facilitators.

Ogundusi said that the training programme was a refresher course for the “training of the trainers”, who would in turn were expected go to their various local governments to train other health workers.

According to him, the week-long free primary health care services will be for pregnant women and children between age 6 and 59 months, aimed at reducing and eradicating maternal and infant mortality and morbidity rate in the state.

He added that the training was also to review their performances in the previous MNCHW, look at the gaps, weaknesses and strength; and try to improve on them and readjust where necessary.

“The Maternal and Child Health Week (MNCHW) is a week-long programme scheduled to hold from July 17 to July 21 in all the designated health facilities across the 21 local government areas in the state.

“It has a lot of thematic areas such as Vitamin A supplementation, malaria net distribution, antenatal care, immunisation, birth registration, family planning, deworming and MUAC screening, among others,” he said.

Ogundusi commended the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for his support and for graciously approved and timely release of all the funds needed for full implementation of both the January and July MNCHW.

One of the trainees, Mr Michael Eseyin, Mopamuro local government Health Educator, told NAN that he had learnt new things and benefitted a lot from the refresher training.

“It is a routine service that we render; we will to go down to our various local government areas to train other health workers for effective implementation of the MNCHW,” Eseyin said.