Governor Babatunde Fashola disclosed this last week at the launch of the Maternal and Child Care Mortality Reduction Programme in the state.
Fashola disclosed that between the time the first MCC was opened in 2010 and June this year, the five MCCs had delivered 45,249 babies while 15,050 of the number were through caesarian sections and 29,497 were normal deliveries.
He added that 415,259 women have been attended to in ate-natal clinic visits within the same period.
“We designed the prototype of the 100-bed four-storey Mother and Child Centre (which we have upgraded to a 110-bed) that have commended themselves to other states in Nigeria today.
“Though Lagos does not get oil derivation money, it will not spare any tax income that is entrusted to it in order to give life to the vessels of life and protect God’s precious gifts to mankind,” he said.
The governor disclosed that the state had so far built eight MCCs in Lagos metropolis to attend to the health needs of mothers and children, saying that the state was taking the issue of health to the next level.
The centres are located at Gbaja in Suru-Lere, Ikorodu, Ifako-Ijaiye, Isolo, Ajegunle and the ongoing ones at Amuwo-Odofin and Alimosho, while contracts for additional two in Badagry and Epe, had been awarded.
On primary healthcare and grassroots investment, Fashola said that in line with the commitment of the state government to provide one model primary healthcare centre, PHC, that would be open for 24 hours in each of the 57 local councils, the first five were ready to start providing 24-hour service while others were in various stages of renovation and provision of equipment.
“The idea of training graduates to convert to health volunteering support, where 300 graduates recently successfully completed training is a critical component, not only to reposition the primary health care system by strengthening its staff capacity through our task shifting innovation but also to arm our young people with new skills that help them to get jobs.”
“These successful graduates have already been deployed to some of the flagship centres where they will be contributing to solve a national problem. We have also put in place a scholarship scheme to support those who become sufficiently inspired to train as professional health care givers,” he added.
The governor stated that the next line in the quest to overcome the challenge of infant and maternal mortality was the improvement knowledge of mid-wives and the traditional birth attendants, with government already training 2,350 traditional birth attendants, 231 health workers on emergency obstetric care, 121 local government health workers on essential newborn care and 51 health workers on contraceptive logistics management system.
Fashola, who also launched the home-based Maternal and Child Health hand books as an integral part of the sensitisation and enlightenment towards maternal and child mortality reduction directed that it should be issued free to any pregnant woman when they register for ante-natal care. (PM reports)
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