……targets to save 250,000 women from maternal mortality
…….donates hospital equipment comprising drugs, consumables in reproductive health, paediatrics, maternal health and the general practice
Chima Azubuike
The National Coordinator and Country Director of Rotary Reproductive Maternal and Child programme in Nigeria, Professor Emmanuel Dolapo Lufadeju, has appealed to traditional birth attendants to stop conducting child delivery but refer patients to medical facilities.
Lufadeju noted that Gombe facilities are equipped to handle complicated cases unlike traditional birth attendants, adding that his organisation desires to rescue 250,000 women and children from death.
Rotary is currently implementing this initiative in two Local Government Areas in Gombe across six facilities each totalling 12.
Our correspondent reports that the initiative is code named together for healthy families in Nigeria.
Lufadeju made this disclosure on Thursday in Gombe State during a community dialogue at Madaki Primary Health Care Centre around state low-cost.
Lufadeju said, “It’s not limited to that place alone, people learn from themselves, the best education is the one you learn from your peers, they tell you that, okay when you are pregnant, don’t deliver at home, please go to the facility because they have the equipment, the materials to make sure that you have a safe delivery, that’s why in my speech I pleaded with traditional birth attendants. I said please don’t accept delivery at home anymore, I know you are experienced, you’re good but refer them to the facility, you are not a hospital, so there’s no way you can compare yourself with hospital where they have all the things they need in case the delivery becomes complicated.
“If you ask me I will say all the women who are of child bearing age in Gombe State but in this particular programme, we’re looking at close to, just around 250,000 women of child bearing age.”
While lauding the hospital management the Country Director added that community dialogue is a method of sensitising the community, particularly women of child bearing age, head of households, young women, elders in the community, village chiefs and religious leaders about the need for reducing maternal and infant mortality resulting from complications of pregnancy and child birth.
“So this is an information venue where they can get what we are going to do about spacing children, delivering in facilities, having good nutrition, using modern contraceptive to space birth and making sure that they attend the antenatal clinic when they’re pregnant and also hospital clinic after delivery, so its a way of making sure that no death are recorded either of pregnant mothers or their infants,” he added.
While commending the government for its far-reaching efforts towards ending maternal and child mortality, Lufadeju said, “Gombe State Government is doing a lot through the Gombe State Ministry of Health to make this primary health care centres affordable, so that people can afford it, government is subsidising it by reducing the cost to make it accessible, as you can see it’s easy for us to also access the place and improve the quality. As you can see the number of health care personnel we saw there, so all of these are done by government, we as Rotary International and other partners are just supporting to make sure that we put in our own little bit to make the system more efficient in the reduction of maternal and infant mortality.
“I have told you that Gombe State government is one of the best among the governments we’re working with, the ministry of health is very proactive and very progressive, they’re supporting the families in their various local government and when we as partners approach them for assistance in communication, assistance in reaching the people, they give this assistance very readily and you know that they comply with Federal Government policy to make antenatal clinic free of charge, to dispense contraceptives free of charge and all of this improve the quality of care and this is one of the few states that have health workers in primary health care working. So you can see that Gombe State is kind of exceptional in making sure that and that’s why on the overall, they intend to have lower mortalities because of this proactive, progressive approach to helping mothers and children.”
He explained that the Community Health Extension Workers or outreach officers have been trained to sensitise the women across their various communities
“They have been trained to go from house to house to preach what I just told you and we called them outreach officers, they’re usually the Community Health Extension Workers, those ones are trained to do this type of work, there also information officers who assist them. so it’s their job to go to households to see to the health of the families not only to pregnancy and child birth issues but also ailments of children like Malaria, Cholera, teach them hygiene, teach them good nutrition, make sure that the environment is clean, and they are eating good food,” Lufadeju added.
Lufadeju at the Ministry of Health said the items for donation are related to outreaches from house to house.
“Meeting the CHEWS for community dialogue was so amazing. We are presenting this token equipment for the use of your primary health centres at least one secondary facility in the state. This is presented to you for the use of our people,” he said.
Receiving the items the Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Dr Habu Dahiru, lauded the efforts of the Rotary International, saying “I want to on behalf of the good people of Gombe State thank you most profoundly on the delivery of hospital equipment ranging from drugs and consumables in reproductive health, paediatrics, maternal health and the general practice at the lower levels.”
He commended the partnership between the state government and Rotary International adding that “the two LGAs Gombe and Yalmatu Deba PHCs. Not only did you give us equipment, I recall that there was capacity building for our healthcare providers. I want to say that we will continue to partner with you and our doors are open for further interactions. These items will be judiciously utilised, we will monitor, we will create more demand especially for the family planning products to ensure we utilise them and we will give you report on their utilisation.”
