Source: This Day
The Lagos State Government has given the statistics of maternal mortality recorded in its public health facilities between 2010 and 2012 to be 714 women.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris disclosed the figure during an interactive session with journalists on the state's maternal and child mortality programme aimed at stemming maternal and child mortality rate.
He provided details of maternal death statistics saying that the statistics between 2010 and 2012 showed a significant reduction in the number of maternal mortality recorded in the state.
But a livelihood expert, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi said it is a worrisome statistics.
"If Lagos State regarded as urban city can have this kind of record, then there is a big problem in the country. We must rise to rescue the situation. Everyone should be worried that in two years 714 lives were lost in government hospital alone. This is not a record to downplay at all, it is something that should bother us," Oluwafemi said.
According to Idris, 318 women died during childbirth in the state's public hospitals in 2010, while 201 died in 2011 and 195 in 2012. While the statistics for 2013 is still being collated, Idris believed there has been decline in maternal mortality rate in the state in the past three years.
He explained that the state government is already addressing maternal and child mortality by adopting the best practice. "We have reviewed its progress so far. We will not change its strategies. Our strategies are really yielding good results. So, there is no need to change them.
"We are addressing the three delays leading to mortality rate. One of such is seeking assistance due to lack of information or poverty. There is also delay in having access to these services and delay in getting the right services.
"We are addressing these through advocacy and public enlightenment. We have gone to the three senatorial districts to sensitise the people to make use of the Primary Healthcare Centres, PHCs. We have gone to Oshodi, Amuwo Odofin, Ibeju Lekki and Surulere to hold stakeholders' meetings," he said.
He said the state government had been able to distribute over 330,000 child health booklets and 195,000 maternal health booklets to mothers and pregnant women through the PHCs and tertiary health facilities.
Idris also disclosed that no fewer than 20,638 women gave birth in the state public hospitals in the first 10 months of 2013 with 9,326 of the women giving birth through cesarean surgical operations.
The commissioner said out of this figure, 11,312 women had normal delivery with the rest going through cesarean operation for safe delivery. "This has helped to stem maternal and child mortality," he said.
He said the statistics was between January and October, 2013, explaining that normal birth delivery stood at 52 per cent while those who went through cesarean operations represented 48 per cent of the delivery rate.
"More women are now undergoing family planning, but that is not to say everything is rosy. Enlightenment is more important. We are still getting maternal death but there is reduction. Government is taking this issue seriously, the rate of maternal death is not acceptable and we are doing more to curb this," he admitted.
The commissioner further said the government had been able to complete seven Maternal and Child Centres, (MCCs) in some parts of Lagos, while three others were being built in Epe, Badagry and Ibeju Lekki, adding that these MCCs had 110 beds each and well equipped.
Idris added that the Ayinke House, which is undergoing reconstruction would serve as pivot points in stemming maternal and child death as cases that could not be handled by the MCCs would be referred to Ayinke.
He said many women were now making use of government's health facilities for antenatal unlike in the past as government health facilities had the needed manpower to tackle maternal and child mortality in the state.
