The Lagos State Government, through the Office of Civic Engagement, has launched toll-free numbers: 0800-6424-758 and 0901-5520-00 for 1,140 indigent pregnant women participating in the ongoing Mother, Infant and Child (M.I.C.H) pilot research programme.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale revealed the numbers at a sensitisation programme on the second phase of the M.I.C.H pilot phase for the beneficiaries at Agege Local Government and Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area.
She explained that the toll-free lines are essential to ensure that the programme is impactful, as the lines would help the participating pregnant women receive qualitative healthcare and follow-up through phone calls and home visits by a dedicated team of the Public and State-approved Private Community Health Workers and Medical Consultants.
“The research phase of the M.I.C.H programme was designed to assess the impact of the programme nutritious food and supplements on pregnant women with full monitoring of their existing conditions, along with the diverse medical and social indices, starting from December 1, 2020, until the next six months, throughout pregnancy till delivery and post-partum”, she noted.
Princess Adebowale stated that each of the beneficiaries would be added to a social media chat group created in each Local Government Area for direct feedback as part of the monitoring and evaluation process of the Office of Civic Engagement.
According to her “The participants in the control group would be given M.I.C.H plus food packs and supplements weekly for a period of three months before delivery, starting from the commencement date of the research project”.
While urging every participant to attend the clinic regularly and cooperate with the government’s team of medical experts, research and care volunteers at every stage of the process, the Special Adviser expressed gratitude to the Medical Team of Agege Local Government and Orile Agege LCDA for their cooperation.
The research programme, which started on December 1, 2020, for 1,140 indigent pregnant women, had the second batch of participating pregnant women sign the attestation forms to confirm their participation in the three-month research exercise.
The 20 expectant mothers in the control groups drawn from Sango Primary Health Centre, Agege Local Government and Odumbaku Primary Health Centre, Orile-Agege LCDA are the second set of participating expectant mothers to sign relevant documents for the research study.
