The Federal Ministry of Health has advised nursing mothers to refrain from using traditional medicine and other concoctions in neonatal care, to minimise neonatal morbidity and mortality rate.
Mrs Ezioma Madu, the Chief Health Educator, Family Health Department, of the ministry, gave the advice on Tuesday in Umuahia, the Abia capital, during a one-day advocacy programme.
The programme was organised by the ministry in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO), for health officers in the state.
Madu said that such traditional medicine and concoctions usually had harmful effects on the health of both the nursing mothers and the new born.
She, however, listed the approved neonatal health commodities being promoted by the ministry for use in the country.
They include ante-natal corticosteroids to accelerate fetal lung maturity, injectable antibiotics for neonatal sepsis, neonatal resuscitation devices for birth asphyxia and four per cent Chlorhexideine for umbilical cord care.
Madu expressed concern that Nigeria had not recorded significant progress in addressing the high rate of neonatal mortality.
She blamed the development on factors such as skills gap, poor referral network, inadequate training, poor policy implementation and inadequate supply of the commodities.
She also identified poor financing for the procurement of commodities, shortage and inequitable distribution of health workers and regulatory issues as some of the barriers against improved neonatal care in the country.
She, therefore, called for concerted efforts by all the stakeholders toward ensuring adequate funding and effective application of life-saving neonatal commodities for women and children’s health.
A participant at the programme, Mrs Caroline Achi, a Health Officer with the Society for Family Health, described the training as “highly rewarding’’.
Achi promised to put the knowledge she acquired into effective use, to contribute toward reduction in neonatal mortality in the country.
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