Save Nigerian Mothers Initiatives trains maternity care providers on Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics
An international nongovernmental organization, under the auspices of Save Nigerian Mothers Initiatives (SANMINIT) has trained maternity care providers in Osun State on Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics and urged government to tackle high maternal mortality rate through relevant policies and laws.
The coordinator of the organization who is an American based Nigerian-born Consultant of Family Medicine and Obstetrics, Dr. Omoniyi Yakubu Adebisi has urged policy makers in the country to pay attention to the issues of maternal mortality in Nigeria and take necessary steps that will curb the menace so as to avert preventable deaths of pregnant women during childbirth.
He said this while speaking at the free capacity building training organized by SANMINIT for doctors and other maternity care providers in Osun State which took place at Ladoke AAkintola University of technology Teaching Hospital in Osogbo as part of strategies to curtail maternal and neonatal mortality in Nigeria,
Adebisi lamented that the alarming rate of maternal morality in Nigeria is worrisome and requires urgent solutions. He noted that the training was designed to strengthen the capacity of the doctors and maternity care providers and enable them update their knowledge and skills on the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) so as to curb maternal morality in the country.
According to him, "Nigeria has a very high Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) with 814 deaths per 100,000 Live Births (LB) in the country when compared with other countries, like Norway, which has 5 deaths per 100,000 Live Births and Canada with 7 deaths per 100,000 Live Births. Thus is unacceptable and we must curb this menace of maternal mortality in our dear country"
A Guest Speaker at the training, Professor Olabisi Loto from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife also urged government and other concerned authorities in the country to make moves to address the problem of high maternal mortality in Nigeria.
Loto said the training became necessary given the alarming rate of maternal mortality in the country and that such training which is very costly in the developed countries was organized free to for the maternity care providers in Osun to equip them adequately to be able to do their job well and ensure safe delivery for mothers.
The Commissioner for Health in Osun, Dr Rafiu Isamotu while speaking during the training urged participants at the training to take the advantage of the training and use the knowledge judiciously.
Isamotu disclosed that Osun State Government is developing policies that would ensure the global best practice in providing maternity care in the state and that when the policies are in place, they would address the problem of maternal mortality in the state.
He said "The state government is working on policies that would ensure global best practice in the provision of maternity care. Our Doctors and other maternity care providers should always embark on necessary training that would increase their capacities and reduce the problem of maternal mortalities."
"The state government through a synergy between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice is working on the policy that would soon come up and help us to checkmate the problems of maternal mortality. We acknowledge the fact that statistics show that maternal mortalities in Nigeria has been on the increase and there is need to curtailed the menace. Meanwhile, I must commend SANMINIT for organising this training", Isamotu said.