23/2/2018
Dr Chris Agboghorowa, Chief Consultant, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, National Hospital, Abuja, has urged government at all levels to ensure free maternal and child healthcare in order to reduce newborn mortality rate.
Agboghorowa, who is also the immediate past Secretary-General of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), made the call in an interview
in Abuja on Friday.
He however identified poverty, lack of expert care during delivery, inadequate and substandard healthcare facilities as contributing factors to the high rate of maternal and newborn deaths in Nigeria.
Other factors, according to the chief consultant, are illiteracy and ignorance of mothers on complications associated with delivery, among others.
The consultant explained that most women that delivered at home did that not because of choice, but due to financial constraints to access health facilities thereby endangering their lives and that of their unborn babies.
He specifically painted a scenario where some women revealed that they decided to deliver at home in spite of the availability of health facilities in their vicinity simply because they could not afford antenatal care and other hospital bills.
According to him, any country that wants to make progress in health indices must make maternal and child healthcare free.
“If this is not done, pregnant women, newborns, among others, will continue to die.
“Nigeria accounting for 11th position on newborn deaths globally as revealed by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) new report is a pathetic situation.< “A situation where maternal mortality rate is high, newborn death rate will be high as well because when mother dies, the baby also may likely not survive because of lack of maternal care. “There is abject poverty in the land and some mothers are complaining that they don’t have money to go for antenatal care, hence they decided to deliver at home,” he said. He frowned at the non-availability of resuscitating equipment in most of the hospitals, adding that if babies had such challenges the baby would not survive. NAN reports that UNICEF in its recent newborn mortality report ranked Nigeria as 11th position on newborn deaths globally. Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Nigeria Representative, identified prematurity, asphyxia, complications during birth or infections, such as pneumonia and sepsis as contributing factors to the rate. According to him, these deaths can be prevented with access to well-trained midwives during antenatal and postnatal visits as well as delivery at a health facility, along with proven solutions like clean water and disinfectants. He suggested breastfeeding within the first hour, skin-to-skin contact, proper cord care and good nutrition, among others, as preventive measures against the rate. Fall however identified recruiting, training, retaining and managing sufficient numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives with expertise in maternal and newborn care as measures toward reducing the burden. It also recommended provision of clean, functional health facilities equipped with water, soap and electricity within the reach of every mother and baby, and providing them with life-saving drugs and equipment needed for a healthy start in life. According to him, empowering adolescent girls, mothers and families to demand and receive quality care will also go a long way to reduce the burden. (NAN) FUA/KOLE/MST Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola
