AN NGO, Medi-Help Foundation, based in Switzerland, on Wednesday donated pregnancy preventive drugs, “Misoprostol” to the Kwara Government.

A Representative of the foundation, Mrs Salma Orire, presented the family planning commodity to the state government through the Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Usman Rifun-Kolo, in Ilorin.

Orire said that the donation was part of the efforts to reduce maternal mortality rates to the barest minimum in the state.

She disclosed that the Founder of the Medi-Help, Mr Daniel Waldvogel, had ensured that other states in Nigeria and other African countries benefit from the gesture.

Orire said the donation, done in collaboration with the Kiblah Nigeria Limited, was aimed at preventing unplanned pregnancies and post-partum haemorrhage.

She explained that the drugs were expected to be taken after intercourse, saying that it was efficacious even, if taken five hours after intercourse.

According to her, complications due to unsafe abortions are the most common reason for both hospital admission and death of teenage girls in Africa.

Orire said that in many African countries, bleeding shortly after giving birth or after an unsafe abortions, was the main cause of death for young women in their best age.

She noted that the vast majority of these deaths could be prevented using simple and cheap tablets such as Misoprostol.

Orire said that Medi-Help aimed to improve the quality of comprehensive sexuality education and voluntary contraceptive usage.

She added that the foundation would also give ultrasound machine to countries that requested for it.

Orire urged the Kwara Government to distribute the product to health facilities that were easily accessible to the less privileged in the society.

The commissioner, while receiving the commodity, commended the foundation for the gesture.

He said the product would be distributed to the state facilities for the benefits of its people in line with the state government policy to make healthcare delivery accessible, efficient and affordable.

Also at the event, Dr Ibrahim Gambari, the Senior Special Adviser to Gov. AbdulFatah Ahmed on Secondary Health, said the gesture would go a long way in reducing maternal mortality rates in the state. (NAN)

– Feb. 20, 2019 @ 12:35 GMT |