Kh Salman inaugurates inaugurating Mother and Child Health Week at Wahdat Colony Hospital

Lahore: Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that improving mother and child health is the basic requirement for creating a healthy society. He said that prevention of diseases is possible through dissemination of awareness among the masses regarding principles of hygiene. He said that government is focusing on mother and child health programme for the achievement of millennium development goals.

He said this while inaugurating Mother and Child Health Week at Wahdat Colony Hospital, here today. Addl. Director General Health Integrated Reproductive, Mother, Neonatal and Child Health (IRMNCH) Dr. Ijaz Ahmad Sheikh, Representatives of UNICEF Dr. Naila, Dr. Uzma, EDO Health Lahore Dr. Zulfiqar Ali, DOH Dr. Saeed Ahmad, Dr. Sajjad, Dr. Pervaiz Imtiaz, Dr. Sohail and a large number of health workers attended the function.

Dr. Ijaz Sheikh informed that the major killer of children are Phenomena and Diarrhea irriah and the theme of the Mother and Child Health Week is to prevent Diarrhea. He said that this week will continue till 2^nd May during which 48 thousand lady health workers and other staff would carry health message door-to-door. Moreover, six million children would be given anti-worm tablets besides eight lakh children would be inoculated vaccine.

He said that anti-tetanus injections would be given to one million pregnant women. He said that lady health workers and lady health visitors would organize health education sessions in the villages and four million women would benefit from this educational activities. He said that pregnant women would be advised to use balance diet during their pregnancy.

Moreover, screening of malnourished children would also be carried out.

Kh. Salman Rafique said that government has integrated Lady Health Workers Programme, Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Programme and established IRMNCH programme to take measures with a focused approach for the improvement of mother and child health. He said that folk women should be given awareness regarding delivery so that they should consult lady health visitors, skilled birth attendant or a gynecologist for their delivery which would be helpful to reduce the maternal mortality rate.