Enugu child health week, LGA chairmen asked to change attitude towards healthcare

The lukewarm attitude of caretaker chairmen of local governments in Enugu state towards primary health care services may bring down the high standard already set by the state government on the primary health sector through the ministry of health.

The recent maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) exercise organised by the state ministry of health and partners for the 2nd round of 2016 in all the health facilities in the 17 local government areas and other designated areas in the state exposed that the caretaker chairmen, are yet to understand the importance and value of the interventions from both the state government and other partners like the UNICEF to the children and pregnant women in their various local governments which they head.

Businessday, one of the media organisations that monitored the exercise in some of the facilities at some local governments areas, noticed that despite the efforts of the government and its partners in providing the interventions, the officers in the field are still faced with a lot of challenges which  hider the smooth running of the exercise in the rural areas. Some of these challenges include logistics and insufficient fund to ensure that Banners are made; Town announcers are paid on time, vehicles are provided to go to some difficult terrain in the rural areas among others.

It was observed that these challenges could not have come if the chairmen actually understood the value of the interventions to the people.

In one of the local government areas the immunization officer was asked by the authority to source money for the exercise. He was promised to be rebursed latter.

This approach seems to explain a point that the chairman of the local Council did not understand the programme.

Also the flag off of the programme which should be the first to announce the MNCHW was not done in any of the local governments monitored by Businessday probably because of lack of Finance.

The following services and Interventions were available for pregnant women and children under five years during the one week programme, Immunisation where vaccines for children and Td for pregnant women were given. Also given were Vitamin A, De-worming, Iron Folate and checking of malnutrition, others are Health education, safe motherhood and birth Registration.

Although there were no reports of any malnourished child in all the facilities visited, efforts should be made to ensure that all the interventions are complete as some of the Interventions such as the Iron Folate and De-worming among others were reported not enough in some facilities.

However, health experts are of the opinion that it would be of emmence interest and benefit to the society if the local government caretaker chairmen are well informed on the benefit of the program through workshops.

Regis Anukwuoji, Enugu