Following an online video that went viral on social media last week about a 16-year-old mother, Aishat, who delivered a baby girl and later tested positive to COVID-19, the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, as well as the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), have teamed up to support both the mother and child with the necessary care.
According to the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Segun Dawodu, the mother and child will be placed in an appropriate shelter where adequate care will be given to them.
While commending the welfare team who took Aisha to the Government Hospital where she delivered her baby, Dawodu extolled the professionalism of the hospital for saving both the mother and child and for the quality healthcare delivery provided for the duo.
He seized the opportunity to advise parents to always take good care of their children, especially the female ones, who are very susceptible and vulnerable to different vices in the society, especially at this period when rape has been on the increase in Nigeria.
The Commissioner also advised parents to henceforth desist from handing over their children to strangers who take them to cities and use them as housemaids or for other unscrupulous purposes.
Speaking on the incident, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Yewande Fadulugba restated the commitment of the Ministry and the State government to ensuring the safety of every child in Lagos regardless of tribe, location or status.
She urged Lagosians to always call the attention of the Ministry to social welfare issues or get in touch with its Child Protection Unit through the Help Lines: 09077333426 and 08172457792.
"The Ministry of Youth and Social Development provides social welfare services that give succour to the vulnerable members of the society including Children, Youth, Elderly and Persons Living with Disabilities", Fadulugba disclosed.
In the same vein, the Acting General Manager, Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, said that the Agency would also enrol both the mother and child at any of the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) facilities of their choice closest to the shelter provided for them by the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.
Dr. Zamba said that the cost of registration and medical care would be shouldered by the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), adding that both mother and child are free to access medical care immediately the mother tested negative and discharged from the Gbagada Isolation Centre.
The Acting General Manager, therefore, called on well-meaning Nigerians at home and abroad to support the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), in providing medical care for the vulnerable residents of Lagos State through the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS).
She said that interested individuals can reach the Agency via 0800-ASKLASHMA or 09013991981 to assist in paying insurance premiums for the vulnerable in the State, revealing that a family plan is N40,000 while an individual plan is 8,500 per annum.
“The Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS), provides affordable and quality healthcare services for all the residents of Lagos State", Zamba stated.
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