2 months ago
17 ARTICLE AD
The government of Ogun State has pledged to leave no stone unturned in its fight against the rising challenge of maternal mortality in the state.
The wife of the state Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, disclosed this while flagging off the pilot phase of the Rural Maternal Health Emergency Transport Service at the Odeda Local Government Area of the state.
The initiative, a collaboration between the state government, Emergency Response Africa, and other development partners, aims to ensure that pregnant women in rural areas receive the required emergency services without delay.
The mode of transportation for this service is a specially built tricycle ambulance capable of navigating rural roads.
Mrs Abiodun noted that maternal mortality is unacceptably high, with approximately 830 women dying from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications worldwide every day.
The First Lady listed major causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, including haemorrhage, infection, and high blood pressure, among others.
She said, “In 2018, the maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria was estimated to be 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, and in 2019, the MMR was estimated to be over 800 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, with a neonatal mortality rate of 33 per 1,000 live births.
“The state government has been making efforts to reduce maternal deaths through various interventions, such as employing over 200 nurses and midwives into the health system.
“The government has also procured about 100 tricycle ambulances and distributed them among all 20 LGAs. These, among other interventions, have been undertaken to ensure the safe delivery of all women and children.”
Mrs Abiodun, while thanking all the development partners, particularly Emergency Response Africa, explained that the project will contribute to reducing maternal mortality through prompt emergency response and effective referral services.
She added that the free rural ambulance service will also help improve antenatal clinic attendance and the number of deliveries carried out by skilled birth attendants at primary health care centres.
The governor’s wife urged rural dwellers to embrace this government support programme, promising to ensure that the government addresses requests for road repairs.
Speaking at the programme, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, painted a grim picture of the maternal mortality rate in the country, stating that “a plane-load of women” is lost to this scourge in Nigeria every day.
She said that maternal mortality remains one of the greatest health challenges in the country and that Nigeria accounts for one of the highest numbers of maternal deaths in the world.
“Too many mothers are lost each year to preventable causes—many of them related to delays in accessing proper medical care during childbirth. These are not just numbers; they represent lives lost, families shattered, and futures forever altered,” Coker emphasised.
She described the government of Dapo Abiodun as one that prioritises the healthcare of its entire citizenry; hence the partnership with ERA and other development partners to begin the free rural maternal health transportation service to ensure that no pregnant woman dies due to delays in receiving emergency services, regardless of where they live.
Explaining the operation of the free transportation service, Coker urged pregnant women to register at government health facilities, after which they will be given a voucher. In emergencies, they can call the dedicated telephone line to reach the responders at any time of the day.
The Commissioner urged the people of the local government to take ownership of the programme and ensure its success, as the intervention will soon be replicated in the remaining 19 local governments in the state.
The Chief Executive Officer of ERA, Dr Folake Owoduni, said that the aim of the initiative is to ensure that pregnant women receive the necessary emergency services within 10 minutes.
Dr Owoduni lauded the state government for supporting the initiative and pleaded with the residents of the local government for their support and cooperation to ensure that the purpose of the scheme is not defeated.
Other dignitaries at the event included the Olu of Odeda, Oba David Olorinisola; the Olu of Olodo Keesi, Oba Ebenezer Adeosun; the Head of the Local Government Administration, Alhaja Nurat Sekoni; and other community leaders and top government functionaries.
