Anambra government partners private healthcare givers to end maternal mortality

Fri, Jul 22, 2022

3 MIN READ

Health

THE Anambra State Government through the State Ministry of Health is collaborating with the private healthcare givers across the state to curb maternal mortality.

Afam Obidike, commissioner for Health, on Friday, July 22,  said that Gov. Charles Soludo’s led administration is adopting a holistic approach to end the maternal mortality in the state.

Obidike said this during a maternal mortality review meeting with private care givers at the Ministry of Health Conference Hall, Jerome Udoji Secretariat, Awka.

``Since the creation of the state, this is the first time such meeting is being organised and we are already making progress with the necessary support from the state government to end this death among women during delivery.

``We want to review causes of death during delivery, after delivery, which is actually part of the governor’s health mandate of ensuring that Ndi Anambra receive quality care.

``The essence is for us to strategize together with the private sector because 70 per cent of our people access cares out there, it is not to apportion blame but rather to audit services and to save life.

``We want to first look at what is happening and how we could have prevented it from happening and ensure if there is anything we could have done to make it not to happen.

``So, if we put things right, we find out that it’s for the safety of the next woman that will deliver, it’s one of the things that our governor is so much interested in terms of services as well to reduce the mortality rate.”
Maternal mortality or pregnancy related death is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of pregnancy.

The most common direct causes of maternal injury and death are excessive blood loss, infection, high blood pressure, obstructed labour as well as indirect causes such as anaemia, malaria and heart diseases.

The commissioner explained that the essence of all the engagement was to drastically put an end to deaths among pregnant women during childbirth.

Earlier, Uju Okoye, State Reproductive Health coordinator, said, ``this is the first time such meeting is being held in the state.

``This review meeting will help the state government to know where to come in, where the problems are coming from and if it’s coming from the human resource and we know how to collectively tackle it.”       

Okoye commended the commissioner for initiating the first ever maternal mortality review meeting in the state.

According to her, from the reports in our platform, the state recorded 20 deaths from January to June mostly from hard to reach areas.

The reviewers include, Prof. George Eleje, Consultant O and G Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, NAUTH, N Nnebue, Consultant Public Health Physician Department of Community Medicine NAUTH and Okoye.

A.I