Lagos flags off free maternal, child health week

By Precious Mark

The Lagos State Government has flagged off the first round of its 2026 Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (MNCAH+N) Week, offering free healthcare services across all public Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) while warning residents against patronizing unqualified birth attendants.

The week-long campaign, running from July 20 to 24, delivers free life-saving interventions across the state, including routine immunization, Vitamin A supplementation, deworming, antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, tuberculosis screening, and HIV testing.

Flagging off the exercise at the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Secretariat, the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat, urged residents to shun quack medical practitioners and adopt positive health-seeking habits.

“Our pregnant women should stop seeking services from quacks,” the First Lady cautioned, calling on the Traditional Medicine Board and law enforcement agencies to clamp down on unauthorized operators whose actions lead to avoidable maternal complications and deaths.

She also raised alarm over rising social vices, revealing that over 4,000 rape cases were recorded in the state in 2025 alongside an uptick in adolescent drug abuse. She urged victims and residents to report cases of domestic and gender-based violence via the state’s dedicated toll-free helpline.

Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, noted that the high-impact public health model originally pioneered by Lagos State was adopted nationally in 2010. She reaffirmed that health workers have been fully deployed to ensure comprehensive coverage for pregnant women, nursing mothers, under-five children, adolescents, and families statewide.