By Ishaq Haruna Hardawa
Husbands have been urged to champion the health and wellbeing of women of reproductive age in Bayara, Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The Co-Chairman of the Community Advisory Board of the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Project, Alhaji Husaini Abubakar Othman, made the call during a community sensitization programme on Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS) held in Bayara.
Alhaji Husaini Abubakar Othman, who is also the District Head of Miri, said husbands, as heads of households, have a responsibility to ensure safer pregnancy and motherhood for their wives.
He expressed concern over the rising cases of child mortality recorded in CHAMPS-implemented areas and called for collective efforts to reverse the negative trend.
He further appealed to husbands to support their wives by allowing them to attend antenatal care services and deliver at healthcare facilities.
Speaking at the event, the CHAMPS Principal Investigator, Professor Bashir Umar Faruk, said the sensitization programme was aimed at educating the community on safe pregnancy practices and general overview of the CHAMPS project.
Professor Bashir represented by Dr. Magaji Dafi explained that, the project also focuses on pregnancy surveillance and identifying the root causes of child mortality in the area.
Professor Bashir Faruk commended community leaders for their continued support towards the success of the project.
Speaking on Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS), Dr. Aisha Zaidu called for greater cooperation from parents to enable health workers carry out procedures to determine the causes of child deaths in the community.
On his part, the Executive Chairman of Bauchi Local Government Area, Alhaji Mahmoud Baba Ma’aji, represented by the Director of Primary Healthcare, Alhaji Suleiman Abdu Kirfi, disclosed that 212 primary healthcare centres are currently offering free antenatal care and delivery services to help reduce maternal and child mortality across the state.
The community engagement also featured goodwill messages from representatives of the WHO, Sultan Foundation, Cigari Foundation, among other stakeholders.
