UNICEF LAUDS MIMIKO ON SAVE MOTHERHOOD PROGRAMME

UNICEF LAUDS MIMIKO ON SAFE MOTHERHOOD PROGRAMME

United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF has described the safe motherhood programme of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko led administration in  Ondo state  phenomena  and benchmark in Nigeria

Gov. Mimiko and the first baby 

The representatives  of the  country  Director of the organization  Mrs Caroline Akosile  disclosed this in an address presented  at the inauguration of the mother and child hospital complex  in Ondo town at the weekend

side view of the Hospital Complex

According to the organization Governor Mimiko’s intervention through the save motherhood in Ondo state has been very successful and it has reduce maternal and child death rate, “we see and we can feel it that pregnant women and children under five are enjoying free and qualitative health care in public health facility.

 She added that the effort in line with the realization of Millennium development goals “We see it as a very phenomenal and highly laudable, we have notice that it is a centre with state of the art medical equipment such as magnetic resonance images, MRI, CT Scan Mammogram, Auto Analyser among others will assist in achieving the millennium development goals MDGS 4 AND 5”.

 She stressed further that “Ondo state is almost the only state that is achieving the MDGs, in that instance, all partners we wish to acknowledge the commitment of his Excellency on child survival and routine immunization programme in the state”.

Dr Olusegun Mimiko,  in his   speech expressed hope that the facility would not only match the enviable record of its predecessor but it would surpass it.

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He added that his administration’s expectation was that 20,000 out of 30,000 deliveries in the state would be achieved through the expected four mother and child hospitals by the Year 2015.

According to him, the remaining 10,000 would be spread between the peripheral Abiye centres and the private sector.

However, he noted that the pioneer Mother and Child Hospital Akure, was the only tertiary health facility in Nigeria that offered free healthcare, including blood transfusion and caes arean section.

He added that the centre has treated over 60,000 patients, comprising 32,000 children and 28,000 pregnant women. He added that 15,000 safe deliveries including 2,300 caesarean section had been carried out at the centre. He maintained that the centre with 100 beds similar to the one in Akure would provide uniform service.Dr Mimiko explained that the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Death, which was signed into law was strategically designed to track all pregnancies.

He said “ our statistics show that between 2010 and 2012 despite having an increase in workload of more than 60 percent, the mother and child hospital Akure reduced its maternal mortality ratio simultaneously by 40 percent . What is perhaps most impressive is that contrary to what is generally believed, the average cost of care per patient reduced by almost 50 percent during the same period”.

“The edifice that is before us this glorious day is a continuation of our 5-year strategic plan to replicate and sustain the provision of quality healthcare services for our children across the State. The mother and child hospital Ondo is a referral tertiary facility modeled after the one in Akure in terms of functionality to run an integrated maternal and child care facility”. He urged the people to patronize qualified health personnel instead of the quarks.

In his welcome address, the health commissioner, Dr Dayo Adeyanju said the appreciable track record of the Akure facility led to the establishment of the new one. He noted that maternal and child care in the state had attained enviable height in the country.

The birth of a baby  was recorded that day while about 250 pregnant  registered for anti natal  on that day.

Dignitaries at the occasion includes, traditional  rulers, representatives of UNICEF, world Bank, WHO, FORD foundation, NPHCDA,  artisans  among others