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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The president-elect, Bola Tinubu, and state governors have been urged to to scale up standards of basic health facilities for pregnant women in a bid to reduce maternal mortality rate.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2022 reports disclosed maternal mortality rate in the country stands at 576 per 100,000 live births.
Medical Director, Ibadan Central Hospital (ICH), Old Ife Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, Desmond Oludele; a general medical practitioner, Segun Ajayi; and General Manager, ICH Group, Olajumoke Caxton-Martins, gave the advice in their separate remarks at the maternal health gathering, organised for 500 pregnant women by ICH management to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the hospital, founded by the former president, Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association Worldwide (ICOMAA), Abib Olamitoye.
The hospital had, last week, organised another health gathering at the Osasami, Ibadan branch of ICH, where another set of 500 pregnant women were empowered intellectually with gifts, such as baby wardrobes, beddings, toiletries and clothing. It is a biannual event that the hospital has been holding two times every year.
Oludele said the unavailability of basic health facilities is a major factor responsible for high rate of maternal deaths in many states, including Oyo.
“One of the major causes of maternal mortality in Ibadan is lack of access to basic health facilities and ICH is well equipped with facilities to help pregnant women, and also to educate them because education is also very important as most of them are not aware of what to do before, during and after pregnancy. With the availability of basic health care system.
In the same vein, Ajayi highlighted delayed response to maternal complains due to the inaccessibility of competent medical facilities and personnel as a factor responsible for irreversible complications, which could lead to maternal or child death.
He encouraged pregnant mothers and their families to put in place, emergency mechanisms to arrest unexpected complains or issues, especially in the 3rd semester in a bid to guard against maternal mortality.
Caxton-Martins, said: “At the national level, this is where care of the grassroots department is more important. The truth is that the elite, the educated ones know they have to go to the hospital. But at the grassroots level, the rural people are still patronising traditional birth attendants and going to mission houses to have babies. What happens here is that there is no adequate medical care. They do not understand when labour is obstructed and they need to get the right type of medical care.
“So, what the government needs to do in the first place is getting these traditional birth attendants and educating them, giving them basic education on how to cater for these people, who will still go to them no matter what, and then, for those that are not covered by the traditional birth attendants, those who are a bit educated and have access to better health care, they should establish primary health centres and equip them because there are primary health centres that don’t have medical personnel, that don’t have the right equipment to cater for the pregnant women.
“So, of course, we have to pump more money into healthcare in the country and then begin to fund our primary health centres, put the educated personnel, the right type of people that can give them the kind of healthcare that they deserve.”
