Posted on: Mon 27-09-2021

The Rivers State Government has declared free service charges on all maternal and childbirth activities in the state for one week. Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr. Harry Agiriye, disclosed this during the commencement of the 2021 maternal Newborn and Child Health week programme in Isiokpo, Ikwerre Council of the state, at the weekend.

He said pregnant women and pregnant HIV patients would enjoy free health delivery service in all state-owned health institutions during the exercise. Agiriye added that the exercise was carried out in collaboration with Save One Million Lives (SOML) and geared towards increasing the health potency of pregnant women and newborn children in the state.

He enjoined all pregnant woman to attend their antenatal medical routines in all government health centers at a free cost, adding: “This is the position of the state government towards improving healthcare delivery in the state.”

Also, representative of SOML, Dr. Pauline Green, said the exercise was in line with Federal Government’s healthcare programmes for health indices on maternal mortality rate.

Green, who noted that over 800,000 pregnant women and 200,000 children under the age of seven die yearly from preventable and curable sicknesses, urged residents of the state to take advantage of the opportunity.

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