As part of measures meant to protect the children against infections and guarantee healthy living among the young ones, the Ogun state government has pledged its commitment to ensuring that every child is immunised against vaccine preventable infections and diseases.
This promise was made in Abeokuta on Wednesday against the backdrop of the Routine Immunisation Intensification Programme (RIIP) and Integrated Medical Outreach Programme (IMOP) which the state is about to commence, saying that the dedicated programme will go a long way in addressing health-related issues among the children across the state.
Speaking on the health programme, Elijah Ogunsola, the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Development Board, said that the health interventions were aimed at covering gaps of unimmunised children and those that were unable to complete their Routine Immunisation (RI), due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Ogunsola added that the RIIP intervention would be done in 10 Local Government Areas, namely; Abeokuta North, Abeokuta South, Ewekoro, Ifo, Ijebu-East, Ijebu North-East, Ijebu-Ode, Ikenne, Odogbolu and Remo North, while the Integrated Medical Outreach Programme (IMOP) commences between Monday 16th and Friday 20th, November, 2020 respectively, at Ado-Odo/Ota, Imeko, Ipokia, Ijebu-North, Odeda, Obafemi Owode, Ogun Waterside, Sagamu, Yewa North and Yewa South.
He however explained that IMOP was a Federal Goverment initiative to mop up in identified low routine immunisation performing LGAs across the country, with a complementary effort of the State Government to carry out RIIP.
Also, Suraj Olayinka, State Immunisation Officer, stated that the State government in collaboration with United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) had decided to capture eligible children that missed RI schedule in the aforementioned LGAs.
He explained that the programmes would commence with health centres conducting one outreach per week for three months, noting that interventions such as Routine Immunisation, Vitamin A supplementation, Nutritional Check, Deworming, HIV/ AIDS counselling and testing, as well as Family Planning services would be provided.
The medical expert enjoined mothers and caregivers to take advantage of government’s investment in health, to get their children and wards immunised in all public health facilities across the State at no cost.
