Growing up healthy: Mother, Child Health Week kicks off in Punjab

Events, seminars and awareness campaigns have been planned in various districts

MULTAN: The Mother and Child Health Week will be marked between November 23 and November 28 throughout the province.

Addressing a session held in this regard at the Sahiwal DCO Office, DCO Asif Iqbal Chauhdry said it was tragic that thousands of children in Pakistan died before turning five years old. Sahiwal Health Executive District Officer Dr Ashraf Javed, Health District Officer Dr Aslam Pervaiz, National Health Programme Coordinator Dr Naeem Atta, Haji Pir Ahsaan and other officers attended the meeting.

Timely provision of vaccines and necessary injections could prevent this, he said. “We need to raise awareness about preventative measures parents must take to protect infants from preventable diseases.”

Chaudhry said all segments of the society had to come together to raise awareness in this regard.

“We cannot achieve much without making concerted efforts to raise awareness about mother and child healthcare.”

He directed officers to expand the scope of the campaign to rural areas. Mothers must be educated about hygiene and sanitation, maternal health, breast feeding, vaccination schedules, family planning and measures to prevent various diseases in the awareness campaigns over the week.



National Health Programme District Coordinator Dr Naeem Atta told the participants that they were organising a Baby Show at Qayyum Hospital where prizes would be distributed among healthy babies. He said the show would continue throughout the six days of Mother and Child Health Week. “This is a special week in which children under the age of two years and expectant mothers will be vaccinated for free.” Children between two and five years of age will be given medicine for stomach bugs.

In Khanewal, Health District Coordinator Dr Muhammad Abid said younger generations could grow up healthy if they had access to better health facilities. He said 1,850 lady health workers and health supervisors will take part in activities organised in connection with the Mother and Child Health Week. Abid said they would administer vaccines to children and medicines to mothers.

He was addressing a Health Mela organised by the Health Department on Sunday at the district headquarters hospital. The event was held to announce the Mother and Child Health Week.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd,  2015.