LASG CONVENES STAKEHOLDERS MEETING IN BADAGRY ON MATERNAL, PERINATAL SURVEILLANCE
… As Medical Director Calls For Community Action In Reversing Trend
The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Health, has convened a stakeholders meeting at General Hospital, Badagry, to seek and promote a unified effort towards halting the tide of preventable deaths among pregnant women and babies, which placed the axis in the second position across the State.
The meeting held recently was based on the review of the annual report for the maternal and perinatal deaths surveillance and response (MPDSR) programme for 2024. The meeting brought diverse stakeholders outside the hospital together; among whom were health workers from the primary health centres (PHCs), numerous traditional birth attendants (TBAs), including community and religious leaders at the ANC wing of the facility.
The Medical Director/CEO, Dr Oluseyi Adesola, who appreciated the presence of the stakeholders, emphasised that the maternal mortality in the hospital was a tiny fragment of what had happened in the communities.
He cited reports of maternal and perinatal deaths surveillance and response's monthly meeting at other facilities in the past, involving key figures from the TBAs, communities and LGs/LCDAs, which had affirmed a high number of other contributory factors were from communities.
Dr Adesola called on all stakeholders to ensure that the meeting has a positive impact on the maternal and perinatal mortality in the Badagry area. He expressed readiness to work together with the TBAs so that the sad story could change for good.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation from the Ministry of Health, Dr Nurudeen Onaolapo, in his welcome address said the State was on a fact-finding mission, and to encourage concerted efforts from the community to reduce the number of maternal and perinatal deaths.
The Medical Officer of Health in Badagry Local Government, represented by the Apex Nurse Abosede Aina, warned TBAs to follow up with their patients on referrals to the hospital to guarantee their safety during deliveries. He said there were instances in which many women referred to General Hospital Badagry had failed to understand the situation at hand and had instead begged PHC staff towards avoiding the referrals.
The Director of Clinical Services & Training, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at General Hospital Badagry, Dr Akinwunmi Akinyemi, noted that the hospital conducts monthly MPDSR meetings, and the result has been frightening because very many unbooked pregnant women often get to the hospital with severe complications. He said that cases like that had led to disabilities and mortalities, earning Badagry, a high maternal mortality zone.
The Consultant Paediatrician and Head of Paediatrics Department, Dr Enem Udoh, said that out of 10 babies admitted after deliveries, eight are already severely asphyxiated and no magic could be performed in such situations, even though her team continues to ensure that many still survive. She mentioned instances where babies were beaten blue-black and sometimes were smeared with hot water just to make them cry. She warned that if babies developed jaundice, they should be taken to the hospital immediately.
A response from one of the TBAs, Mrs Abosede Fasinu, urged health workers at the hospital and PHCs to follow up with the homes of pregnant women who present badly in the facilities after they have been revived and discharged to trace the root causes of their problems.
The stakeholders agreed to take the message of the meeting to their various communities. One of such had drawn attention to the dangers of some harmful traditional practices and religious beliefs that make some pregnant women neglect medical advice to go to the hospital in good time.
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