By Stephen Adeleye.
The Kogi Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Audu on Wednesday said that the State Government has reduced maternal mortality rate through various health care intervention projects.
Audu said that these projects have reduced child death rate to the barest minimum in the state.
He spoke at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) officials to establish emergency transport service for pregnant women in Kogi.
According to him, the MoU is to ease the transportation of pregnant women to healthcare centre in Anyigba and Dekina Local Government Areas of the State.
He said that maternal mortality rate was 536 deaths per 100,000 life span before Gov. Yahaya Bello came into office.
He said the number of maternal mortality has now reduced significantly to less than 200 deaths per 100,000 life span in the last four years.
“We are desirous of sustaining this achievement that is why we are signing an MOU with NURTW.
“We have put all the necessary arrangements in place to ensure that the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement become a source of reducing maternal mortality rate.
“Maternal mortality rate is increased by delay in transporting pregnant women in labour to the comprehensive health centres.
“Pregnancy as designed by God is suppose to be a source of life and a thing of joy and not a reason for death,” commissioner said.
He reiterated that the implementation of various health care projects through the governor’s health intervention across the three senatorial districts, have had impact in the lives of targeted people.
“We have also started getting result. But the government alone can not provide all the necessary facilities for quality heath care,” he said.
Audu appealed to the union not to renege in the agreement signed with the ministry to save more lives in the country.
Earlier, the Project Officer, Health Care Plus, Dr Akpe Oluwarotimi said survey had shown that Anyigba community had many pregnant women who did not have access to transportation during labour.
Oluwarotimi said that it was Bello’s initiative to assist pregnant women in Kogi and urged the union to contribute their quota to reducing maternal mortality rate.
Alhaji Hassan Yusuf, NURTW vice chairman, Lokongoma branch gave the assuray that the union would do its best to adhere to the agreement to ensure the success of the programme.
“This programme is not new to us and t is also beneficiary to our members in Anyigba community. We will not let the government down,” Yusuf said.
He said that the union would leave it’s phone line open for any distress calls 24 hours to enable it attend to any caller.
(NAN)
