Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano says the state under his watch, will maintain its number one position in immunization coverage in Nigeria.
The governor made this known during the inauguration of the second round of the 2019 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) and first round of the 2020 National Immunization Plus Days (NIPS) held at the Primary Health Centre, Akpo in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The immunization programme was organized by the State Ministry of Health, through the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA) in partnership with development partners including European Union, UNICEF and RUWASSA.
The program had commenced on the 9th of February at all Government Primary Health Centres and other designated health facilities as well as in select public places and homes, and is expected to last till the 18th of February, 2020.
It is expected to feature distribution of Vitamin A supplement and de-worming drugs to children between ages 6 months to 5 years, Oral Polio Vaccine to children (0 to 5 months) and other routine immunization as well as drugs for pregnant women.
Governor Obiano while inaugurating the program, said it will complement efforts by his administration at providing quality healthcare services to all in the state, especially those in the hinterlands that spell very low health indices for the state.
“The vision of my administration to deliver quality health service at the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary levels and our steadfast commitment to prioritize care to pregnant women, newborns and children, earned us the top honour in immunization. We cannot lower the bar. We will continue implement further health policies that will make sure that Anambra remains above her counterparts in health concerns,” Obiano said.
The governor said with the instrumentality of the State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) and the rejuvenated Anambra Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA), his government has shown genuine commitment to making health services available to the people at very affordable cost.
The Wife of the Governor, Ebelechukwu Obiano, whose Non-governmental organisation, Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFEI) is also a partner on the initiative, said issues of maternal and child health are getting priority attention to address the challenge of child-killer diseases in the state.
For the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Vincent Okpala, Anambra’s excellent result in Immunization coverage was as a result of intensive planning and commitment at all levels of healthcare delivery.
High point of the event was the administering of the immunization drugs on some newborns by Governor Obiano.
