Cross River State Gov. Liyel Imoke |
Governor
Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has urged pregnant women not to pay for their
medical treatment because such expenses are borne by the state.
Speaking
while flagging off the state Maternal New Born and Child Health Week at
Sankwala, Obanliku Local Government Area, Imoke enjoined them not to pay for
the medical treatment of children of five years and below.
He
said though the state’s financial position is not buoyant, it is determined to
provide free and affordable medical services to enable the people work and
children go to school, stressing that immunization is free while vaccination
should be taken regularly for polio and measles to be kicked out of the state.
The
governor advised that if they are asked to pay for medical treatment at
government facility, they should report such medical officers because such
money does not get to government’s coffer but to individual’s pockets.
Imoke
reminded that ambulance given to the area is meant to convey pregnant women
from their communities to the General Hospital in case of emergency for
treatment and is not doctor’s car because they have been issued with pickup
vans while calling on nurses and health workers to be dedicated and committed
to their work in order to save lives.
On
the status of traditional birth attendants (TBA) in the village, Imoke said
there is need for them to be registered, trained and shown how children could
be delivered safely and under good sanitary condition before taking them to the
doctor for treatment and registration.
He
explained that traditional rulers are involved in the exercise because
government wants the information to get to the communities for enlightenment,
adding that they are equally expected to police the program and ensure it’s
successful as well as report those not doing their work to the appropriate
government agencies.
According to him, this is to ensure that the exercise gets to all nooks and crannies of the state.
According to him, this is to ensure that the exercise gets to all nooks and crannies of the state.
Prof.
Angela Oyo-Ita, Commissioner for Health noted that the exercise is expected to
stop death, as well as encourage mothers to give their children salt/water
solution, de-worm and breast feed them exclusively and give them drugs while
pleading with mothers to avail themselves of the exercise.
Oyo-Ita
remarked that it was a routine exercise with the level of participation of
mothers increase per exercise and said they needed to acquaint themselves of
urine and blood pressure tests which are free for pregnant women, stressing
that mothers should use health centers because incidence of sickness amongst
them has reduced.
Mr.
Benjamin Ayua, Chairman of Obanliku Local Government Area, said the area has
benefitted from many state rehabilitation programs and that in the last
exercise in march 2013, it recorded a remarkable success in immunization
campaigns.
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