A Non-governmental Organisation, the USAID/Nigeria Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics activity, a part of the global USAID MOMENTUM project has called on journalists to ensure increased public awareness on Fistula, unsafe surgeries and other poor reproductive health habits.
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The project was aimed at reducing fistula cases, shun cultural norms in maternal health and promote safe reproductive health services and others.
Dr Kabir Atta, the Country Representative and Project Manager made call in his address during a two day engagement meeting with members of Sokoto state Correspondents’ Chapel, Directors from Sokoto state ministry of Information, Local Government Information Officers, and Hospital Public Relations Officers in Sokoto.
Mr Atta underscored the importance of media on sensitizing people noting cases of fistula, unsafe surgeries, Female Gentile Mutilation (FGM), harmful practices and other poor reproduce health practices needed increases attention in Nigeria.
According to him, maternal and child mortality rates need collective concern from stakeholders as well as changing the poor peoples attitude and perceptions toward accessing right healthcare services along with availability of standard health facilities in Nigerian communities.
He explained that the project was launched in June 2021 hoping to end by Sept. 2025 with budgetary support of 10 million US Dollars.
He added that the project focus on surgical obstetrics care, safe and appropriate cesarean delivery and peripartum hysterectomy along with FGM prevention and management.
He noted that the activities is in partnership with federal government and States ministries of health in focus areas that comprised Ebonyi, Bauchi, FCT, Kebbi and Sokoto States.
Mr Atta said the project geared to ensure adequate knowledge on health services, harmful social and gender norms, lack of trust in health system, financial and geographic obstacles and poor linkages to facilities.
” It was also to enlighten people on the existing gabs, insufficient staff, lack of skills ad support provider bias, fear of blame, disincentives for appropriate care, infrastructure, equipment and supply gaps, lack of process for respective quality care ” Atta said.
He also urged Journalists to facilitate adequate provision of resources, provision of evidence based guidance, adequate data provision and highlight absence of compensations.
The Country Representative added that the project would also strive toward facilitating referrals system, need to support and scale best practices, lack of private sector engagement and need for increased collaboration with civil society.
He further explained that it was buil up on the five year National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anaesthetic and Nursing Plan (NSOANP), a strategic priority for surgical care intended to provide a realistic assessment and situation analysis of the states surgical care in Nigeria.
He stressed that the plan help on proving clear road map of implementation and evaluation mechanism toward harnessing emergency access to surgical care by people.
According to him, the vision was to have national healthcare system that is responsive to all surgical needs for all citizen at all times.
” Overall efforts is to integrate surgical, obstetrics, anaesthetic and nursing care into national healthcare system so that appropriate surgical care is provided to all adults and children at all levels ” The Country Director added.
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