From Rhoda Godwin, Yenagoa
Community Health Workers and Traditional Birth Attendants Urged to Refer Pregnant Women to Primary Health Centres for Safe Deliveries, and prevent avoidable maternal deaths.
This call is coming from the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Health, Professor Seiyefa Brisibe, she advised Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to refer pregnant women to Primary Health Centres for safe delivery of their children.
Professor Brisibe made the call during the flag-off ceremony of the First Round of the 2024 Optimized Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week which held in Amarata community, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The program is part of activities to strengthen the health system in the state, particularly for women and children.
“I want to encourage all persons in the communities to be advocates of good health, work with the Primary Health Care Centres, the facilities in the wards should be functional, we do not want any woman to die out of giving birth to a child,” Professor Brisibe stated.
The representative of the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, Nigeria, Mrs Ada Ezeogwu, commended the efforts of the state government for their commitment to ensuring quality health care in the state. Mrs Ezeogwu pointed out that UNICEF is in the state to monitor and ensure that the intervention gets to the target group, which are the women and children, especially those in the grassroots.
The representative of the first lady, Hon Ekiomote Pasisei, assured that the government would provide the needed support for the success of the program in the state.
She called on all stakeholders in the health sector to work together to ensure that health care is a priority in the state, adding that every child should be given the needed vaccine to prevent diseases and deaths.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Oluwatoyin Azebi, noted that the ministry is committed to providing quality health care services to all citizens of the state and that the Optimized Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week is a critical step towards achieving the goals of the ministry.
“This week-long event will provide a range of services, including immunization, nutrition screening, Vitamin A, supplementation and many more,” Dr Azebi said.
The Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Board, Dr Williams Appah, reiterated the need for women to visit the health centres in their communities while also urging health workers to be at their duty posts.
The State Coordinator, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mrs Mabel Ogeniba, advised all mothers to make use of the services available at the health care facilities in their various communities.
“Every mother and her children must receive this package from the primary health care essential services to enable us achieve universal care system,” Mrs Ogeniba stated.
