Experts harp self care, says will reduce maternal mortality, infertility issues, others
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Reproductive Health Expert, Dr. Adewole Adefalu and the Country Director, John Snow Incorporated, says access to information would reduce the increasing rate in maternal mortality and other health challenges.
Adefalu revealed that through sensitization alot of women would be aware about emerging health challenges, which includes cancer and infertility issues.
He made this disclosure on Wednesday, in an interview with journalists, shortly after the Federal Ministry of Health, in partnership with Association of Reproductive Health, Pathfinder International and John Snow Incorporated rolled out self care, self injection guidelines to key reproductive, maternal health officers and coordinators in the state.
He said, “These two guidelines are essential for us as a country to continue to support women by reducing maternal mortality too many women are dying everyday and until we all collectively work towards innovations that can help us to reduce this mortality we will continue to have challenges as a country. The government is beginning to look more inwards towards strategies we can use as a country to reduce this mortality.
“Self care in itself looks at the opportunity for people to take control of their health and there are basic things you can do that you will not have to get to the hospital for some of our women they can be empowered information on how to do them some of which are family planning methods, fertility control, for those who want to have kids and are having challenges. This will provide awareness about issues relating diagnosis of cervical cancer to help women provide information towards preventing cancer.”
Adefalu revealed that the coronavirus pandemic spurred the interest to standardize self care.
“All of these interventions are targeted at helping the government reduce the burden on healthcare. The Covid-19 last year taught us all how to think outside of the box because of the dwindling in healthcare.
“We are implementing the access collaborative project. It looks at introducing new products in the last 4 years we supported the rollout DMPA, a type of Sayana press, one of the family planning method that is why we are duty bound to continue to support,” Adefalu added.
Also, Representative, Federal Ministry of Health, Lawrence Anyanwu, said government has realized the far reaching impact of self care, towards improving healthcare of citizens especially women.
Anyanwu stressed that stakeholders would be better equipped to sensitize residents of Gombe on the successful uptake, adding that
He said, “We are here to engage with officials of state ministry of health concerning the national document that we recently developed which has added you the documents we are using to manage the promotion of health and wellbeing of Nigerians.
“This document is the national safety healthcare guideline which the federal ministry of health mobilized stakeholders from the state ministry of health and implementating partners to develop.
“It follows from global guideline that was released by World Health Organization and the management of self-care as means of empowering individuals to initiate certain health interventions aimed at the improvement of their health is focuses on emphasis where they take charge of their health knowing when to seek healthcare services from healthcare delivery service and when to take charge with the recommendations in the guideline people should be able to know.”
On his part, Commissioner for Health Dr. Habu Dahiru, assured that government would support, in the implementation of the guideline, adding that efforts are geared towards mobilizing towards it success.
“Let me assure you that government will give high priority to this programme during it implementation and in particular, I want to emphasis issues of counterpart funding and mobilization of health workers to key into this programme to ensure success.
“Let me also tell you that my doors are open am a field man, I will go to the field with you, to ensure we give access to the community at the lowest level, to make them access this programme without any hindrance,” Dahiru said.
