Maternal health: Lagos has zero tolerance for quacks

Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode has cautioned quacks operating illegally in Lagos State, saying their activities were limiting chances of survival for pregnant mothers and their babies.

To this end, Mrs Ambode urged them to desist from giving antenatal care for pregnant women and taking delivery, for which they lack the requisite experience.

She therefore declared that the law would catch up with them as the Lagos State Government has zero tolerance for quackery.
She spoke at a town hall meeting on ‘Child Mortality Reduction Programme’, which held in Ogudu in Lagos recently.

The programme was organised by the Lagos State Government in conjunction with Lagos State Ministry of Health, as well as some development partners, to ensure that messages were spread to mothers as regards the care of their own health during pregnancy and child birth as well as the care of the new born after birth.

Mrs Ambode, who was moved by the high prevalence of maternal/child mortality in the country, said “We must encourage the use of accelerated health facility for maternal and child health services.”
She added: “The state’s public health facilities provide quality healthcare services that are required to ensure the survival of expectant mothers, babies and children.

“The workers in the PHC centres and general hospitals are committed and ready to provide quality care, but you have to go there and use the facilities.”
According to Ambode, who was represented by Eng. Mosunmola Olulade, procreation was divine and no woman deserved to die in the process.

“What’s also important is that some women suffer from serious diseases, disability and physical damage caused by ignorance and lack of proper care during child care.”

Studies have shown that majority of maternal deaths were avoidable if women access quality reproductive health services including the use of trained midwives called skilled birth attendants for delivery.

On his part, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Bamisebi Adebayo who is the Medical Director in Ibeju Lekki General Hospital in Lagos State, said: “We need to continuously educate our women to take up medical interventions that are available and ensure they maximally use of it.”

Bamisebi said the maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria ranks amongst the highest in Africa and sub-Sahara Africa, numbering about 800 to 100,000 live births (lb), saying that it was very high compared to the data of maternal mortality in countries of the developed world.