Ogun govt To Provide Free Maternal Care For Expectant mothers

On Nov 25, 2023

The Ogun state Government has said it is targeting at least 15,000 expectant mothers to benefit from its free delivery programme, tagged “Ibidero” (meaning: safe delivery). The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the new scheme in Abeokuta on Friday.

Coker said the programme was initiated to improve the state’s maternal mortality index.

She said the initiative was the state’s health insurance scheme targeted at vulnerable indigent pregnant women in the 20 Local Government Areas.

She said that through the programme, the enrollees would have access to free maternal health services at their assigned health centers, which would reduce the risk of complications during or after pregnancy.

She revealed that “Ibidero” was designed to include a conditional cash transfer, where the pregnant women captured in the programme, would get stipend after delivery at their assigned health facilities.

According to her, each beneficiary would be registered in hospitals within a walking distance to their homes.

“Last year, 3,000 pregnant women benefitted from the pilot phase of the programme. As a consequence, Gov. Dapo Abiodun, has graciously approved the scale up of the programme to 15,000 beneficiaries,” she said.

Coker further said that about 300 public and private health facilities at the primary and secondary levels had been registered for the programme.

She also said the gesture by the government would contribute to a significant reduction in cases of maternal mortality, occasioned by “extreme economic vulnerability” in the state.

“One of the indices by which the overall status of the healthcare system of a country or state is assessed is its maternal mortality rate. According to the World Health Organisation, the maternal rate of Nigeria stands at 917 deaths per 100,000 live births, making us the fourth highest globally. It is worth noting that most of these deaths are preventable, but according to reports, only 40 per cent of all births in the country take place in a health facility. The implication of this is that most of our pregnant women are at the mercy of traditional birth attendants and faith homes, among others during their pregnancy and delivery. That’s why, I believe, this initiative is quite timely,” the commissioner added.

She said that the cash transfer innovation of the programme was conceived as an additional incentive to ensure that the women attend antenatal care regularly and deliver at the assigned hospital.

She assured that the present administration was committed to providing affordable, quality and accessible healthcare for all.

NAN/Wumi