LAHORE:
City health officials will immunise some 150,000 children aged up to two against various diseases and give de-worming tablets to 222,000 children during Mother and Child Health Week from November 19 to 24, said Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Inamul Haq on Saturday.
Health officials also aim to give anti-tetanus injections and folic acid tablets to guard against anaemia to 90,000 pregnant women during the week, the executive district officer (Health) said at a press briefing.
Dr Haq said that the maternal and child mortality rates in Pakistan were very high and bringing them down was one of the main Millennium Development Goals.
He said that the government had trained lady health workers and vaccinators for their assignments during the health week.
He said that they would go door-to-door to provide medicines.
He said that pneumonia and diarrhoea were the main killers of children. He said that feeding a child solely with breast milk up to the age of six months helped create a strong immune system and natural resistance against disease.
District Coordination Officer Noorul Amin Mengal said that international agencies as well as provincial government departments were assisting with Mother and Child Health Week.
Dr Kaleemur Rehman, who is in charge of arrangements for the health week, said that all logistical issues had been sorted out and the provision of tablets and injections had been completed.
He said that female health workers would organise education sessions at the community level for house wives and health messages would be included in morning assembly sessions at schools. Dr Kaleemur Rehman said that a control room had been set up in the executive district officer (Health)’s office where people could get information on the week’s activities at 99204117.
A health line (0800-99000) has also been set up, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2012.
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