“Ignorance, lack of awarenessattributes to high rate of maternal, infant mortality”
By Vivian Onyebukwa
President of Rotary Club ofAkowonjo, Ben Dare, attributing the high rate of maternal and infant mortalityto ignorance and lack of awareness on the side of mothers, stressed the need tocreate more awareness among mothers to have a safe delivery.
Speaking at the Isolo GeneralHospital, he said: “For me the truth about it is the knowledge gap. Most womendon’t even have the knowledge of how to go about it. So for the Rotary Club, wedo advocacy, education. By doing that we impact knowledge with which they cando better, because if they know better they can do better next time.”
In a bid to complement the effort of the government on child health andmortality rate in Nigeria, the Rotary Club in Lagos donated over 70 baby cotand other gift items to indigent mothers in various government hospitals acrosssix local government areas in the state.
The exercise organised by acombination of six Rotary Clubs in Lagos also aimed at supporting mothers indelivery and infant care.
Dare, while speaking, stated that the exercise was aimed at giving back toindigent mothers who gave birth within the period of the donation.
He lamented the state of the nation’s primary healthcare, which necessitatedthe donation by the club to breach the gap rather than leaving everyresponsibility to the government.
Oladapo Bankole member, Rotary Club of Akowonjo, however, advised women ofchild bearing age to take their health seriously, always consult the doctor,rather than engage in self- medication during pregnancy, and always ensure thatthey take care of their environment.
He noted funding as one of the greatest challenges to achieve a good healthcaresystem, but unfortunately there is not much funding. “Again, we need to educatepeople better on family planning and also on health related issues when itcomes to mother and child. Unfortunately, we have a lot of maternal deaths.There are also instances where they are probably not having well balanced mealswhen they are pregnant.”
He stated that the partnership with other clubs to donate the items was toensure that needy women in other local governments benefit from the donation.“In Rotary we believe that when we come together we have more impact inreaching out to other people”.
On her part, President, Rotary Club of Isolo, Princess Tokunbo Allison, urgedgovernment at all levels to equip primary health care, adding that such effortwould go a long way in reducing maternal and child maternity in the country.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the event lauded the organisers forremembering them in such capacity.
