Ensure improved access to quality maternal healthcare, expert urges govts

By Oluwafunke Ishola

A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prof. Bosede Afolabi, has appealed to the Federal Government and states to ensure more equitable access to quality maternal healthcare, especially for marginalised women.

Afolabi made the appeal during the fourth Safer Hands Initiative (SHI) Maternal Health Summit held in commemoration of International Day For Maternal Health And Right (IDMH), on Thursday in Lagos.

Afolabi, the Head of Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, spoke on the theme, “The Current State of Maternal Health in Nigeria: Socioeconomic Determinants and Implications”.

Afolabi said that healthcare access and affordability remains a major challenge for many Nigerians, especially those with low incomes and marginalised groups.

She said that the government must strengthen the nation’s health system to ensure unhindered access to facilities and healthcare professionals.

She also urged the government to expand access to health coverage through improved funding and robust health insurance that would enable lower costs for care, treatment and enhance quality healthcare services.

According to her, the government must ensure that policies are aligned and set goals.

She said that intersectoral coordination between health, education and environment was critical to achieving these goals.

She lamented that Africa has the highest maternal mortality ratio estimated at 546 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.

“Nigeria has the highest number of maternal deaths, its maternal mortality ratio increased by 14 per cent (from 917 to 1047) between 2017 and 2020.”

Afolabi emphasised that understanding the key drivers was crucial to reduce avoidable maternal deaths which include: health system failures, social determinants, harmful gender norms, biases and inequalities; and external factors.

”Having unhindered access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare will increase women’s chances of survival during pregnancy.

”It will give them the opportunity of having healthy children and enable them to have a balanced family, work life and in turn improve the economy of Nigeria,” she said.

Also speaking, Dr Roland Ojo, founder of SHI, said the initiative started in response to the lingering maternal and child health issues occurring in Nigeria viz reduced access to maternal and child health services, lack of skilled attendants during childbirth.

According to Ojo, the Safer Hands project also educates and empowers frontline rural healthcare providers, majorly the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), on important actions to ensure good pregnancy outcomes and reduction in the high rates of maternal and child mortality.

He said SHI had initiated and partnered in several goal driven projects and interventions aimed at ensuring increased access, information and capacity building toward bridging the deficits in maternal and child health services across Nigeria.

He said it was also to achieve sustainable development on health “locally”.

”Today, we are proud of our impact across board and we believe more is still to be done moving forward,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Oluwakemisola Agoyi, Programme Manager, SHI, said the event was held to help improve maternal healthcare services and delivery in Nigeria and Africa.

Agoyi expressed optimism that the impact of the summit would be long lasting, adding that the actions taken from the conference will be documented and disseminated. (NAN)

Edited by Edith Bolokor/Dianabasi Effiong