Communities in Imo State have been called upon to always place issues of child survival, development and maternal health care on the front burner in all their meetings and other social activities.
 
The call was contained in an address presented by the Imo State Director of National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mr Vitus Ekeocha, on behalf of the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, Field Office, Enugu, during a one-day Review/ Planning Meeting of Community Governance Structures, CGS,  in Orlu senatorial zone of the state, held at the All Saints Anglican Church, Amaifeke, Orlu LGA.
 
Ekeocha who commended the participants for keeping faith with the initiative to drastically reduce infant and maternal mortality in the state recalled how UNICEF and NOA had in the last three years used the CGS of 75 selected communities in the zone to discuss issues of community development centred on child survival and development and improvement in maternal health among others.
 
He explained that the NOA with the support of UNICEF instituted the yearly Forum of CGS in the 75 communities each in three zones of the State with the sole purpose of inculcating the issues child and maternal health in communities’ periodic meetings.
 
The state director remarked with concern that communities in the state hold their weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and biennial general meetings where discussions are mainly centred on development of material infrastructures in the communities without any mention of health issues.
 
He expressed delight that the communities during the period under review reached some form of consensus and resolutions for collective action on what would be done to improve maternal and child health through adoption of key household and communal practices.
 
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