Jan. 8, 2022

Medical Officers of Health (MOH) across the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas of the State have been enjoined to remain conscientious in the distribution of food packs and supplements to indigent pregnant women at their various Primary Healthcare Centres under the State’s Mother, Infant and Child (MICH) programme.

Special Adviser to the Governor, Office of Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, gave the charge at a stakeholders’ meeting on MICH held at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, Secretariat, Alausa, stressing that the weekly distribution of food packs and supplements to the pregnant women will commence in the second week of January 2022 and that a total of 570 women across 57 LGAs and LCDAs are to benefit from the launch phase of the programme.

Princess Adebowale explained that the Mother, Infant and Child (MICH) initiative was designed to boost neonatal brain development from conception to birth and to also assist the less privileged and expectant pregnant women living below the poverty line within and around Lagos State, while ensuring that they have all their nutritional needs are met.

“This programme is a bold attempt to provide women with basic food items during pregnancy across Lagos State. This is to ensure that both the growing foetus and the poor expectant mothers have access to nutritious food needed for the healthy development of the baby’s brain and the well-being of the expectant mother”, she stated.

The Special Adviser, therefore, appealed to all stakeholders to work together to ensure the launch phase of MICH is successful, saying “In this phase, we have a MICH card that allows us to track our indigent pregnant women at every pre-determined touch point such as antenatal attendance, food collection and home visits among other benefits”.

“We have also instituted procedures that have the propensity to make the tasks easier and more efficient by making automated voice calls in preferred languages, daily SMS prompts, 24/7 Toll-free Teleconsultations and Vaccination Reminders”, Princess Adebowale disclosed.

Stakeholders present at the meeting included representatives of the Ministry of Health, Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, Lagos State Health Management Agency, Lagos State Residents Registration Agency, Gerocare and Mumspring.

Recall that MICH, an initiative of the Office of Civic Engagement, was launched by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in September 2021.