IMNCH can prevent 6.2 million deaths

About 6.2 million deaths can be prevented by 2015 if the Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (IMNCH) policy is fully implemented by all tiers of government.The Special Adviser to the Lagos State governor on Health, Dr Yewande Adeshina, said this at a news conference on the second round of the Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health week on Thursday.According to her, more than 200,000 mothers and six million children's deaths have been estimated to be preventable through adequate intervention of government and involvement of families in the various health care services available for them.Said she, 'with full implementation of the IMNCH strategy, we can prevent up to 72 per cent of neonatal deaths; more than 70 per cent of under-five deaths and two-thirds representing 62 per cent of maternal deaths. In absolute terms, more than 200,000 mothers and six million children's lives can be saved by 2015.'The special adviser further stated that, maternal, neonatal and child health, globally, constituted one of the most important issues that determined national wellbeing noting that, many women in Nigeria were still dying from the life-enhancing process of procreation.During the weeklong programme, Adeshina said that routine services like immunisation, vitamin A supplementation, growth monitoring and promotion including screening for malnutrition, appropriate counselling, referral and distribution of de-worming medicines and IEC materials would be done.
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