Samuel Oyadongha
25 August 2008
NO fewer than 25 women and 90 babies out of 1003 women that put to bed in Bayelsa State have so far lost their lives in the predominantly riverine state due to delivery related complications.
A consultant gynecologist and obstetrician with the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Dr. Andrew Igbafe who disclosed this at a workshop, entitled "Educate and Empower Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) for Sustainable Community Health Service," blamed the high rate of the incidence on several factors with particular reference to traditional practices.
Dr. Igbafe noted that only about 40 per cent of births are taken to hospitals while about 60 per cent go to traditional birth attendants (TBA) for delivery.
He however called on the Traditional Birth Attendants to refer patients with delivery related complications to the clinics or hospitals where they can be properly attended to so as to reduce the maternal mortality rate in the state.
Declaring open the workshop organized by the Centre for Gender Values and Culture in collaboration with the State Ministry of Gender and Social Development and the State Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (SACA), the wife of the state governor, lamented the high maternal and infant mortality rate.
The workshop according to her, is aimed at building the capacity of the TBAs, promote women's reproductive health as well as ensure support for the millennium development goals especially reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.
She emphasized that the health of women and children is a major concern for the present administration and appreciated the TBAs for the value they add to the community health system.
"Recent statistics have shown that Nigeria which has about 2 per cent of the world's population is saddled with 10 per cent of the world maternal death rate which translates to about 52,000 women who die every year in the country from pregnancy and delivery related complications, most of them in the rural areas," he lamented.
Mrs. Sylva urged the women to participate attentively at the workshop and support the fight against maternal mortality to offer pre and post natal care education by teaching the pregnant women importance of tetanus vaccination during pregnancy, routine vaccination for babies, nutrition during pregnancy and general hygiene.
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