20/03/2020
KEBBI FIRST LADY ORGANISES A ONE-DAY ADVOCACY PROGRAMME ON MATERNAL MORTALITY AND CHILD SURVIVAL
*Health Experts Create Awareness To Wives Of LGA Chairmen And Female Councillors On Advocacy For ‘RMNCAH’
By Al-Amin Ciroma
Considering the need to tackle the menace of maternal mortality and child-survival, and the global outbreak of Covid – 19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019), the wife of Kebbi State Governor, and founder Medicaid Cancer Foundation (MCF), Dr. Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu, has organized an engagement platform for all wives of local government chairmen and female councilors in the state.
The engagement held on Wednesday 18th March in Birnin Kebbi focused on advocacy for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH), social behavioral change and awareness and safety measures against the Covid-19.
Speaking at the event, the Kebbi State First Lady said the meeting aims at creating more awareness by the experts in health sector, to inform the participants of the importance of advocacy on RMNCAH, to further enlighten women at the grassroots of ongoing projects in Kebbi and how it benefits them.
According to her, in spite of the efforts of the state government, and donor agencies/partners, the health sector is still suffering in the areas of maternal and infant mortality due to poor awareness and communication.
“I was excited when the representative of the ALGON chairman stated that they need only two weeks to work towards reverting the indices of the mortality rate in the state. I know it will be difficult to tackle the problem under the short time frame, but at least his gesture shows great commitment to the programme”, she said.
Dr. Zainab Bagudu re-emphasized the need to teach the women leaders how to advocate for improved ante natal care, supervised child birth and immunization.
Speaking earlier, the commissioner for health, Malam Muhammad Ja’afar said the meeting is very important at this point in time, because it aims at discussing about maternal health and child birth. Adding that it was a pet programme of the first lady of the federation, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, and the wife of Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Zainab Shi