United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Integrated Health Program (IHP) at the weekend said maternal and child mortality and morbidity is higher in Ebonyi State compare to other Eastern states of the federation.
Ebonyi State Coordinator of the program, Gladys Olisaeke stated this in Abakaliki, the state capital while briefing journalists shortly after presenting child health, family planning and maternal and new born health training equipment from the USAID IHP.
According to her, USAID IHP was concentrating her work in the state because of the high statistics of maternal and child mortality and morbidity.
“The mortality and morbidity for mothers and children is higher in Ebonyi State compare to other eastern states. When you compare the statistics for women, for children, for adolescents, is not as good as other states. So, this is why we are concentrating our work here; USAID in general because we have a lot of USAID funding, six projects in health.
Olisaeke explained that the USAID IHP will focus on maternal and new born health, reproductive health and family planning including gender and child health which is made up of integrated management of childhood illnesses, routine immunization and nutrition.
“We are focusing on maternal and newborn health, reproductive health and family planning including gender and child health and the child health comprises of integrated management of childhood illnesses, routine immunization and nutrition.
“The cost of the training models which is those models we presented will be used to train health workers to provide health services. We have the books they will be used in the training and they also refer to those manuals after the training when they are doing their work and they somehow forget.
“We have engaged three local organizations to lead the roll out of these trainings in the health facilities. We have the orchard, we have life helpers initiave leading the training for child health and Society for Obstetrics gynecologists in Nigeria, Ebonyi State chapter. They are leading the maternal and newborn training in all those facilities we have mentioned,” she said.
Receiving the equipments, the Commissioner for Health, Ebonyi State, Dr. Daniel Umezurike, noted that the partnership of the State Government and USAID have attracted huge investment and assured the agencies of effective utilization of equipments at the primary health centers.
“Today, we are seeing very good investment in the primary health sector trying to improve the maternal and morbility.”
