90 thousand pregnant women would be medicated during mother and child week

Lahore: Mother and child health week would be celebrated under the auspices of health department in Lahore from 19th to 24th November during which 1.5 lakh children of up to two years of age would be immunized whereas de-worming tablets would be given to two lakh 22 thousand children of up to age of five years. Moreover, anti-tetanus injections and folic acid tablets to prevent them from anemia.

This was stated by EDO Health Lahore Dr. Inam-ul-Haq in a media briefing regarding mother and child health week, in his office, here today. He said that mortality rate in mother and child in Pakistan is very high and under millennium development goal, reduction in maternal and child motility is the main target. He said that proper training has been parted to lady health workers and vaccinators for completing their assignments during the health week. He informed that lady health workers and vaccinators would visit door to door for the immunization of children and to provide de-worming tablets. He disclosed that pneumonia and diarrhea are the major cause of the mortality of infants. He said that exclusive breast feeding at least upto first six months can create a handsome resistance par in the children against many diseases which can reduce infant mortality. He further said that UNICEF, WHO, MNCH Programme and other departments like education, Auqaf, Social Welfare, Family Planning, Local Government and Community Development are also joining hands in mother and child health week. Dr. Kaleem-ur-Rehman Incharge of the health week arrangements informed that all the logistic arrangements and the provision of tablets as well as injections have been completed. He said that lady health workers would organize health education sessions at community level for the orientation of house wives, health message would also be disseminated among the school children during Morning Prayer in schools. He informed that a control room has been established in the EDO Health office where people can get information and other relevant guidance from Telephone No. 99204117 and Health Line No. 0800-99000.