Abakaliki — The Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Nigeria, Dr. Ray Kirkland has stated that the United States government expended about $3 million in seven states in Nigeria since 2007 to help facilitate improved reproductive health and family planning services.

Dr. Kirkland pointed out that through the Acquire Fistula Care Project, USAID hoped to increase access to quality health services, improve performance of service delivery, community support for reproductive health and family planning in Nigeria, adding that through the collaboration of Acquire Fistula Care Project and the Ebonyi state Government, 352 fistula clients have been repaired at the Southeast VVF Center.

Speaking during the public presentation of the Mother and Child Care Initiative and Related Matters law No. 002 of 2008 (Amendment) law No. 005 of 2009 to stakeholders in Ebonyi state, the USAID mission director explained that fistula complications can be eliminated through postponement of pregnancy to the age of 19, spacing pregnancy and ensuring that births take place in equipped clinics and hospitals with trained health care providers.

He commended the Ebonyi state government for enacting the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Monitoring Law stressing that one of the challenges facing Nigeria has been that of lack of adequate and reliable data on why women die in child-birth.

In his remarks at the occasion, Ebonyi state Governor Chief Martin Elechi said that the amendment became necessary following the state government's desire to broaden the scope of the initial law which focuses essentially on maternal mortality, as being championed by her wife's pet project, Maternal and Child Care Initiative (MCCI)

Governor Elechi disclosed that with the amended law, the crucial issue of morbidity and allied public health concerns have been brought under the purview of the new instrument adding that recent report indicates that stunted growth, high maternal mortality, apathy and ignorance of family planning techniques constitute serious public health challenge to the state.

He appealed to USAID to support the state in Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, Girl Child Education and Family Planning, adding that any assistance in the listed areas would help consolidate the gains of the fistula care project and also enhance public health status of the people.

Under the new law, medical practitioners and other health workers in Ebonyi state are to face three months imprisonment or be liable to a fine of N20, 000 on conviction if they fail to report any maternal death or disability to the Ebonyi state Mother and Child Care Initiative MCCI committee.

The law stipulates that it shall be an offence not to report any death of a woman either during pregnancy, labour or delivery or within six weeks of delivery, to the ward, local Government or state Maternal Mortality and Monitoring committee.

According to the law any person either by trust in his profession or otherwise who handles the treatment and delivery of a pregnant woman either at ante-natal or post natal stage that ended in maternal mortality and fails to report such death within two months to the appropriate authority commits an offence.

The law further stipulates that any hospital, maternity, clinic or caregiver where such maternal mortality took place and fails to report such death within one month to the appropriate authority, commits an offence adding that where the offence under the law is committed by a corporate organization shall be liable to a fine of N50, 000.