Kwara targets 1.2 Million women, children for free healthcare
The Kwara State Government has announced plans to provide free healthcare services to about 1.2 million children and pregnant women during the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week.
The week-long intervention, scheduled to hold from June 8 to June 12 across the state’s 16 local government areas, is aimed at improving the health and nutritional status of women and children through the provision of integrated healthcare services.
The government said the initiative reflects its commitment to ensuring that maternal, newborn and child health services remain accessible at no cost in all Primary Health Care facilities across the state.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the conference room of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KWSPHCDA), the agency’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Nusirat Elelu, said a wide range of free healthcare services would be offered to pregnant women, children under five years of age, and eligible nine-year-old girls.
According to her, the services include routine immunisation, Vitamin A supplementation, deworming, nutrition screening, growth monitoring, antenatal care, birth registration, HIV prevention interventions, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for eligible girls.
Elelu said the agency is targeting more than one million children under the age of five, about 200,000 pregnant women, and over 7,000 eligible nine-year-old girls during the exercise.
She added that adequate preparations had been made to ensure the successful implementation of the programme, including the training of health workers, strengthening of logistics and vaccine distribution systems, community mobilisation, and engagement with traditional, religious and community leaders.
The executive secretary urged residents to take advantage of the free services by visiting the nearest primary healthcare facility during the exercise.
