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Mother-Baby Kits are being given away for free by Nyesom Wike Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of celebrations for Nigeria’s 65th anniversary of independence.
In his capacity as Wike’s representative, FCT Minister of State Dr. Mariya Mahmoud publicly inaugurated the initiative at the Asokoro District Hospital.
The Mother-Baby Kits are a component of the administration’s core health programs, which aim to provide mothers and newborns with a safe start in life, Dr. Mahmoud remarked during the launch.
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“No child should be born without proper care, and no woman should give birth without the resources and assistance she requires,” she stated.
By providing every mother and child with the greatest start possible, these kits demonstrate our strong commitment to maternal and child health. In order to guarantee safe labour, delivery, and newborn care across the FCT, they are outfitted with essential medical supplies and equipment,” she stated.
Along with the Mother-Baby Kits, the government also launched the Abuja Breathe Fresh Air Project, a clean energy initiative that encourages the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cookers rather than firewood, charcoal and kerosene in order to reduce air pollution in homes.
Mahmoud claims that the two projects represent Wike’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which aims to address long-term environmental sustainability and improve urgent healthcare needs.
“We are addressing one of the silent but deadly health hazards in homes — respiratory diseases caused by smoke inhalation — by substituting intelligent and efficient LPG cookers for polluting fuels,” she continued.
The FCT Administration has been strengthening its healthcare system through infrastructural improvements, including hospital renovations and the creation of a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, personnel training, and improved working conditions, the Minister of State also emphasised.
Nigeria’s maternal and newborn death rates are still alarmingly high, according to Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat.
She pointed out that women’s lack of access to basic and safe delivery materials during labour is a major contributing factor in many of these avoidable deaths.
The Renewed Hope Mother-Baby Kit program was established to bridge this disparity, Fasawe continued.
“Every kit includes essential supplies to guarantee a clean and secure delivery for both the mother and the child.”
As part of the rollout, several pregnant women at the event were given free Baby Kits and LPG cookers.
The following people were present: Dr. Baba-Gana Adams, Permanent Secretary of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat; Abubakar Ahmadu, acting Director-General of the FCT Hospital Management Board; Hajiya Rakiyya Wamako, acting Executive Secretary of the FCT Primary Health Care Development Board; and Adedayo Benjamin Laniyi, Mandate Secretary for Women Affairs.