Anambra State Partners UNICEF, Trains Health Workers On Clinical Procedures To End Neonatal Deaths
By Chukwudi Nwauba
Anambra State Government has partnered with United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to train health workers on clinical procedures to end Neonatal deaths across the state.
Wife of the Governor, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, who disclosed this during the training of health care workers on clinical procedures for ending neonatal deaths in Awka, said the State would continue to partner with relevant bodies to stop preventable deaths.
She assured that through the Ministry of Health, the state will continue to implement strategic health policies to eliminate maternal and infant deaths.
The programme tagged “Neonatal Roundtable and Helping Babies Breathe”, is supported by UNICEF and Nonye Soludo Initiative, and covers One hundred health workers each in four clusters selected from public and private health facilities from 21 Local Government Areas in the state.
Mrs. Soludo, represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ify Obinabo, expressed worry over the slight increase in reported cases of neonatal deaths in Anambra, and pledged that checking maternal and infant mortalities remains a major task for the state’s health care system.
The governor’s wife noted that the current administration is leaving no stone unturned in implementing strategic health management policies to protect women and children, which include the current programme as well as the ongoing free Cervical Cancer screening and treatment for five thousand Anambra women and girls.
Mrs. Soludo, while commending UNICEF for showing strong support to the programme, urged the participants to take the exercise seriously, as well understand that the task before them is critical in the ongoing restructuring of the state’s health sector.
Earlier, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, explained that the training came up following maternal mortality review of stakeholders meeting that was done last year in the State. “So, from the review meeting we discovered that most cases of maternal and infant deaths occur as a result of human faults, that’s the reason we are doing everything within our reach to stop the preventable deaths”.
Dr. Obidike posited that already, the State government is domesticating professionals in critical sections of the state’s health system, pointing out that four hundred healthcare workers that would have been trained at the end of the exercise. “This health workers will now serve as foot soldiers in the campaign to eliminate neonatal mortality from our dear state.”
The commissioner applauded UNICEF for their continued partnership and also hailed the governor’s wife for her efforts to ensure that women and children would continue to benefit from all health programmes across the state.
In her remarks, the State Reproductive Health Coordinator, Dr. Uju Okoye, praised Mrs Soludo for showing deep interest in the programme, describing it as a proof of her passion and commitment towards the wellbeing of women and children in the state.
Dr. Okoye said that similar training had been concluded for Nnewi and Onitsha clusters, with Ekwulobia cluster next in line.
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