The Coalition of Women Association in Ogun State on Thursday raised the alarm over the high mortality rate among pregnant women in the rural areas of the state.
The women coalition stormed the state House of Assembly complex, calling on all mothers and guardians in the state to enrol in the State Health Insurance Scheme to guarantee them access to qualitative primary healthcare services.
The group, which comprises various women groups such as Forum of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria and Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria, among others, staged a rally on Thursday, at the Governor’s office, Oke Mosan Abeokuta, to mark the 2022 International Women’s Day.
Speaking during the rally, the Vice President, Coalition of Women Association in the state, Funmilayo Ogunniyi, demanded quality representation in politics and governance in the forthcoming election.
Ogunniyi added that slots should be allocated to pregnant women under the health insurance scheme.
She lamented the high mortality rate among pregnant women in the state, saying, quick steps must be taken to avoid further death of expectant women.
She said, “We demand mobile ultrasound vehicle systems (two per senatorial district) for the sake of women in the rural areas and in the spirit of breaking the bias in which the equipment will facilitate the accessibility of our pregnant women in rural areas to the ultrasound machine.
“A continuous rapid rehabilitation of Primary Health Care Centres and employment of mid-wives for primary health care services is needed.”
The leader of the coalition complained that the employment of frontline health workers was last done in 2003 under the Midwives Service Scheme.
She added that the 16 years jinx of not employing in the PHC services must be broken.
The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, assured the women coalition of the renewed support of the 9th legislature on issues bordering on access to qualitative health care services and the promotion of gender equality.
Oluomo noted that the assembly, since its inception, had always been re-aligning the annual budget of the state to give more priority to the health sector, especially the primary health care, owing to its importance to the grassroots people.
