CRSG Commends CHAMPS Project for Donating Ultrasound Machines To PHCs
By Judex Okoro
The Cross River state government has applauded the efforts of the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) project for donating seven ultrasound machines for installation in selected Primary Health Care Centers across the southern senatorial district of the state.
According to government"The laudable initiative from CHAMPS will assist government in optimizing the quality of healthcare, improve the health of pregnant women and the unborn child, while promoting safe deliveries, thereby curtailing the disturbing maternal death ratio prevalent in our rural communities"
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, who made the commendation on behalf of the government acknowledged with delight the contributions of CHAMPS in the health sector of the state noting that" CHAMPS has proven to be a dependable partner in our onerous quest towards providing access to quality and affordable healthcare to our people across the state. Their research findings and recommendations over the years have become an integral part of our health policy initiatives aimed at addressing gaps, promote standard and efficiency,thereby checkmating maternal morbidity and mortality rate"
He asserted that the donation would greatly improve the capacity of healthcare workers to tackle child and maternal health issues effectively at the grassroot.
. "The ultrasound machines and the establishment of recent community advisory across the seven local government of Cross River south will play a pivotal role in improving health outcomes in the state," Dr. Ayuk stated.
"We are disposed to depening collaborations with CHAMPS and other critical key stakeholders to ensure a healthier Cross River .
"This partnership underscores our dedication to giving every child a chance at a healthy life, free from preventable diseases," he concluded.
Explaining the essence of the huge intervention, a consultant pedestrian at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and principal investigator in CHAMPS, Professor Martin Meremikwu has expressed optimism that the installation of the ultrasound machines will assist in enhancing safe deliveries while ensuring the health of the mother and child during the various stages of pregnancy.
In his words
"Ultrasound can assist you to do many things from detecting if actually a baby in the womb, its positioning, breathing capacity, to ascertaining the age in order to guide the doctor. Therefore it is a norm for every pregnant woman to do an ultrasound"
" When we discovered that our rural communities don't have these machines,we had to appeal to our funders for permission to procure the machines and they obliged us. We are merging Bakassi and Akpabuyo, the rest LGAs will get one each while one is reserved for referral.
We hope to capture Bakassi in our next annual budget circle"
He urged community leaders to report recurring deaths among pregnant women and children under five years to CHAMPS for necessary action aimed at addressing the root causes.
