The Cross River State Government has announced its goal to reach approximately 1.5 million mothers and children during the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week. This statewide initiative seeks to enhance the health and well-being of mothers and children across the region.
Launch of the Campaign
The wife of the state governor, Bishop Eyoanwan Otu, made this announcement while launching the exercise organized by the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA) in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health and development partners. The event took place in Calabar on Wednesday. She urged parents, caregivers, and community members to fully utilize the free healthcare services provided during the campaign.
Services Offered
The week-long program, scheduled from June 11 to June 15, will deliver a variety of life-saving healthcare services. These include routine immunization for children aged zero to 15 months, introduction of the Human Papilloma Virus (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 malaria prevention in pregnancy. Additionally, HIV and Tuberculosis screening, testing, and counselling services will be available.
Importance of the Initiative
Bishop Otu described the intervention as a critical investment in the health of families and communities, emphasizing that the services are safe, effective, and accessible to all beneficiaries. She stated, “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 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 in all 18 local government areas of the state.
Government Support
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ayuk, highlighted that the state's commitment to delivering healthcare services directly to communities has yielded significant results and remains a notable achievement of the health sector under the current administration. He encouraged parents to ensure their children receive 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 percent of these were generated through outreach programmes, while the Governor’s Wife’s NGO accounted for 65 percent of that number. If a programme is contributing nearly 20 percent of our patient flow, then it deserves sustained support and institutional backing,” Ayuk stated.
Agency Perspective
The Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Vivien Mesembe Otu, explained that the MNCH Week is designed to address preventable health challenges still affecting many families across the state by improving access to essential healthcare services. She described the initiative as one of the most important public health interventions on the agency’s calendar and reaffirmed the agency’s 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 make a positive impact on families and communities across the state.
Legislative and Partner Support
The Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Health and member representing Boki II State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Hilary Bisong, applauded the state government for what he described as a programme that brings hope to families and delivers life-saving opportunities to vulnerable populations. The representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Rebecca Olatunde, emphasized 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 and 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 release counterpart funding and support the successful implementation of the programme.
Official Commencement
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 immunization coverage, maternal health outcomes, and access to preventive healthcare services for thousands of women and children in Cross River State.
