By Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
The Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA), in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health and development partners, has flagged off the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week, aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of mothers and children across the state.
The week-long programme, which runs from June 11 to June 15, will provide a range of life-saving healthcare services, including routine immunisation for children aged 0–15 months, the introduction of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for nine-year-old girls, administration of multiple micronutrient supplements, iron and folic acid tablets to prevent anaemia, and Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy.
The programme will also offer HIV and Tuberculosis screening, testing, and counselling services.
Flagging off the exercise in Calabar, the Wife of the Cross River State Governor, Bishop Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, urged parents, caregivers, and community members to take full advantage of the free healthcare services being offered during the campaign.
She described the intervention as a critical investment in the health of families and communities, emphasising that the services were safe, effective, and accessible to all beneficiaries.
“These interventions are free, safe, and designed to protect the health of our families. A healthy child is the foundation of a healthy community, and a healthy mother is the strength of a healthy nation,” she said.
Mrs. Otu noted that the campaign remains one of the most cost-effective and life-saving public health initiatives, specifically designed to protect, nurture, and empower mothers, newborns, and children across the state’s 18 local government areas.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Henry Ayuk, said the state’s commitment to taking healthcare services directly to communities had yielded significant results and remained one of the major achievements of the health sector under the present administration.
He encouraged parents to ensure that their children receive the recommended vaccines and health services, while calling for increased support for outreach programmes championed by the Office of the First Lady.
According to him, healthcare outreach interventions have become a major contributor to service delivery in the state.
“In 2025, we recorded an estimated 400,000 outpatient visits in our hospitals. About 20 per cent of these were generated through outreach programmes, while the Governor’s Wife’s NGO accounted for 65 per cent of that number.
“If a programme is contributing nearly 20 per cent of our patient flow, then it deserves sustained support and institutional backing,” Ayuk stated.
Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Vivien Mesembe Otu, said the MNCH Week was designed to address preventable health challenges affecting many families across the state through improved access to essential healthcare services.
She described the initiative as one of the agency’s most important public health interventions and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that no mother, newborn, or child is left behind.
Dr. Otu also commended the Governor’s Wife for her unwavering advocacy and support for maternal and child health programmes, noting that her interventions have continued to positively impact families and communities across the state.
Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Health and member representing Boki II State Constituency, Hilary Bisong, applauded the state government for implementing what he described as a programme that brings hope to families and delivers life-saving opportunities to vulnerable populations.
Also speaking, the representative of the World Health Organization, Rebecca Olatunde, emphasised the need to extend the programme to hard-to-reach communities and ensure accurate data collection to measure the number of mothers and children reached, as well as lives saved.
Representatives of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and UNICEF, Christian Okechukwu and Dr. Hillary Ozong respectively, commended the Cross River State Government for demonstrating the political will to provide counterpart funding and support the successful implementation of the programme.
The ceremony featured the symbolic presentation of healthcare packs and the administration of vaccines by Bishop Eyoanwan Otu, marking the official commencement of activities for the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week across the state.
Health officials expressed optimism that the exercise would significantly improve immunisation coverage, maternal health outcomes, and access to preventive healthcare services for thousands of women and children in Cross River State.