Ambode Urges Expectant Mothers to Patronize Govt. Health Care Facilities

Wife of the governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, has again called on expectant mothers in the state to patronize government health care facilities for their ante-natal and post-natal care needs in order to reduce the incidence of maternal and child mortality.

Ambode who stated this at a town hall meeting on reduction of maternal and child mortality in Epe local government area noted that government owned Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) and General Hospitals have committed workers ready to provide quality care and assistance.

“Please patronize these health facilities instead of subjecting yourselves to quacks, who will always wrongly justify the loss of dear ones”, she said. 

The Wife of the Governor observed that refusal by expectant mothers to use essential obstetrics services is crucial factor that contributes to high maternal mortality. She added that refusal to access care when highly necessary for various reasons as well as poor nutrition before and during pregnancy also contributes in a variety of ways to poor maternal health, obstetric problems and poor pregnancy outcomes.

According to her, “Almost every minute, somewhere in a corner of the world, a woman dies as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. For every woman that dies, about twenty others survive but suffer from serious diseases, disability or physical damage, caused by these complications. Majority of these maternal deaths are avoidable if expectant mothers access quality reproductive health care, including skilled attendance at birth”.

Ambode noted that improving the quality of antenatal care, care at the time of child birth and after delivery for mothers and their newborns are essential to preventing maternal and child deaths.

While stating that some of the deaths in babies after delivery occur from illnesses like malaria, measles, diarrhea and pneumonia, She added that malnutrition, lack of safe water and good sanitation also contribute about half of infant’s deaths stressing however that these diseases preventable and children do not have to die from them.

The Wife of the Governor opined that the support of families and communities is key to maternal and child mortality reduction adding that input from wide range of groups and individuals including community and religious leaders, women groups, local association and health care professionals is also essential in reducing the deaths of mothers and children.

Said she, “Families and communities have a major role to play in protecting women and children. Health facility and community committees should help to identify and implement strategies for improvement in such areas as referral, emergency transport, deployment and support of health care providers. Local committes have a key role to play in this regard”.

She stressed that while the role of Traditional Birth Attendants is acknowledged, it is important they know their limitations and ensure prompt referrals to the Primary Health Care Centres.

“The health sector is encouraged to make good quality services, including essential care for obstetric complications available to all women during pregnancy and child birth with particular emphasis on ensuring that skilled attendant is present at every birth”, Ambode said.

Speaking earlier, the commissioner for health, Dr. Jide Idris, noted that it was important for Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to be registered with the state government, adding that reports indicated expectant mothers still visited TBAs, who knew not what to do when complications arose. 

The commissioner stated that the state government had done so much in the in improving maternal and child health indices through building and upgrading of health facilities, recruitments of qualified staffs and provision of drugs and medical consumables in state owned health facilities.

He noted that the town hall meetings which was started in 2012 provides government with an avenue to engage the communities on effort geared towards reducing maternal and child mortality rate with a view to generating interest and participation for the programme stressing that government have been furnished with firsthand feedback on the strength and weakness of the programme and other maternal and child health issues through the meetings.

He enjoined everyone to come together at the end of the town hall meeting and resolve to do the right thing, beneficial to mothers during pregnancy and babies after child-birth, stressing that everyone had a role to play.

Delivering their goodwill messages, the member Federal House of Representative, representing Epe Federal Constituency, Hon. Tasir Raji and Chairman House Committee on Health in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Segun Olulade, both noted that there was a strong link between the health and survival of a mother and that of her new-born.

 
Hon Raji said it was imperative for the state government to explore the possibility of registering the TBAs with a view to integrating them into the healthcare delivery system, as this according to him, would considerably help build capacity to ease burden in the health sector.

Hon. Olulade stressed that all efforts must be concerted to ensure no woman in Lagos State loses her life during pregnancy or childbirth. 

In attendance were top government functionaries, traditional rulers, the health family, Traditional Birth Attendants, and other stakeholders.