The Governor of Kogi state, Captain Idris Wada has stated that the state government is considering plans to reduce the cost of medical treatment for pregnant women and children across public health institution in the state.
Captain Wada, who made this known in Lokoja while flagging off the 2012 maternal new born and child health week, stated that the cost reduction would cover pregnant women and their children under the ages of five years.
While delivering his speech the Commissioner of Health, Dr Idris Omede said the child maternal new born and child health week was a national program aimed at giving women and children access to health.
He also said that the services to be rendered to mothers and children will include immunization, distribution of vitamin a and birth registration
While the wife of the governor Hajia Halima Wada in her own address appealed to the state government to allow women and children in the state receive higher health priority through the implementation of family friendly policy by government at all level.
The governor in his own speech noted that the program is a critical health strategy, considering that maternal death and infant mortality rate is alarming.
He also noted that it is a big challenge which called for innovative ways to provide strong network of health services to combat the most common causes of death during pregnancy and child birth.
Captain Wada also administered drugs to some few babies and certificates were also presented to them.