Abia State Commissioner in the National Population Commission ( NPC ) Hon Emma Trumps Eke has decried the low record of E-birth registration of under-five children in the state in the ongoing free -of- charge exercise and consequently urged parents, guardians, traditional rulers and community leaders to sensitize and mobilize their people for the exercise.
The Commissioner had last week flagged off the state 2024 Verbal and Social Autopsy ( VASA ) Study describing it as a crucial survey designed to provide insights into the causes of under-five and maternal deaths in communities.
He said that in this round of VASA Study that is a follow-up to the 2023-2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey ( NDHS ), Enumerators are going back to households to ask and obtain information that will help the government understand and plan to address the biomedical and social causes of death of under- 5 aged children and women of reproductive age”.
He added that the Survey which NPC is undertaking in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, builds on the previous efforts from 2014 and 2019 that provided valuable information that helped shape health policies and interventions aimed at reducing preventable deaths.
Indicating that during the Study fieldwork, being conducted from 2 to 29 December, 2024 in 13 of the 15 selected communities in the state, trained Data Collectors/Enumerators are to visit households to conduct interviews with family members and gather enabling information in understanding the circumstances surrounding maternal and child deaths.
He consequently urged Abia residents to give the necessary information to the Enumerators when they visit their homes to collect the necessary Data.
Reported by
Gordi Udeajah
