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… Inaugurates Implementation Taskforce
The Federal Government has activated the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction Innovation Initiative, MAMII in Kwara State.
The initiative is aimed at bringing to a halt, cases of maternal and neonatal deaths as well as eliminating barriers to safe delivery.
While handing over the programme documents to the State Government, National Coordinator of MAMII, Dr Dayo Adeyanju, explained that although two local government areas, Moro and Ilorin-East, were selected for the implementation of the MAMII programme, every pregnant woman across the State will benefit.
Dr Adeyanju said assessment of statistics revealed that only 17% of pregnant women in Kwara State go to health facilities for delivery while 83% go elsewhere.
He however, announced that mobile phone numbers of contact persons in each of the two local government areas will be made available to pregnant women to facilitate free transportation to health facilities when the need arises.
The MAMII National Coordinator also affirmed that 45 healthcare centers in Kwara were being revamped by the Federal Government and that upon delivery, women will be enrolled into the national health insurance scheme alongside their children and spouses.
In an address, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Ahmed El-Imam announced free Cesarian section for pregnant women at Kwara State University Teaching Hospital, KWASUTH, Ilorin; General Hospital, Offa; General Hospital, Kaiama; Aisha Buhari Mother and Child Hospital, Eyenkorin; and University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital,UITH, Oke Oyi.
Dr El-Imam urged women to take advantage of the free programme and not entrust their lives into the hands of quacks or consent to being delivered of their babies, outside of government approved health facilities.
Some beneficiaries of the programme who took turns to share their experiences, thanked the Federal and State Government for providing free cesarian section for them.
Highpoint of the event was the distribution of free delivery kits and medicine supplements to pregnant women at the event.
By Rasheedat Iliyas
