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Mrs. Abimbola Fashola (2nd L) presenting N50,000 cheque to Prince Oluwtosin Wilson (3rd R) from Ojokoro LGA during 2009 Child Health Week.


Mrs. Abimbola Fashola (M) presenting N50,000 cheque to Princess Oro-busa Nughiren (L) from Kosofe LGA during 2009 Child Health Week.

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Sep 8, 2009 - 2009 Child Health Week And World Breast Feeding Week Celebrations

Congratulations to all our mothers and beautiful babies as we celebrate the grand finale of this year’s Child Health Week and World Breastfeeding Week with the themes “Healthy Children, Healthy Future” with a slogan “Happy Family” and Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response” Are you Ready?” respectively.

Child Health and Breast Feeding Week is celebrated together by Lagos State Government since 2003. This is in recognition of the important role parents especially mothers play in ensuring the healthy growth of our future leaders. 70 percent of children die from diseases such as malaria, measles, diarrhoea all of which can be prevented or treated if we develop the habit of doing the right thing at the right time.

Government is encouraging us to cultivate the habit of good personal hygiene, by keeping our environment clean at all times because a dirty environment is a good breeding ground for all kinds of deadly diseases especially malaria.

The major objective of this Child Health Week, is to sensitize the public mothers in particular, and caregivers to take advantage of the facilities provided at the Primary Health Care facilities located in various communities in the State. These centres are established and equipped to provide regular preventive services such as immunization, antenatal care, delivery, post natal care, family planning, deworming, treatment of minor ailments, control of diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and voluntary counselling among others.

Mothers should make it a habit to visit Primary Health Care Centres for their health needs and for the whole family even after their babies have completed their routine immunizations. This is very important because Primary Health Care is the bedrock of effective and efficient health care service delivery all over the world. On Breast Feeding matters, we plead with mothers to please practice exclusive breast feeding for the first six months after delivery.

Every child has the right to be breastfed because the breast milk is the child’s natural food which contains all the essential nutrients for survival, healthy and balanced growth of the baby. Apart from the health benefits to the baby, it has also been scientifically proved that breast feeding also enhances the total health of the mother by reducing her risk of developing some diseases including breast cancer among others.

Given the immense benefits the society as a whole stands to derive from ensuring that best practices in breastfeeding and the challenges that are being faced by working mothers, may I use this opportunity to appeal for the support of corporate organisations and institutions by providing a conducive environment for nursing mothers in their establishments to breastfeed their babies even while at work. Baby friendly actions such as this will promote the general well being of the society as a well nurtured and nourished child is not only a pride to his or her family but also an asset to the society.

Let me be the first to congratulate the winners of the Child Health Week Prince and Princess, the Breast Feeding champions and the Outstanding Father award winner.

I commend the efforts of the leadership and staff of the Ministry of Health for these successful double celebrations of this year’s Child Health Week and World Breastfeeding Week. The support and contributions of our partners especially UNICEF and WHO, sponsors, Local Government Chairmen and Community leaders are very well appreciated.

Let us join hands to give our children a good healthy start in life and our sacrifices on them will not be in vain.

To all our Muslim brothers and sisters, I say Ramadan Kareem.

Thank you and God bless you all.

Eko o ni baje o!

Her Excellency
Mrs. Abimbola Fashola
First Lady of Lagos State