Lagos makes progress at tackling maternal mortality

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, today presented certificates of participation to 400 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) in the State, just as he expressed optimism that they would contribute to the State Government’s effort to reduce maternal mortality rate.

Speaking at the certificate presentation ceremony of the TBAs held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat, Governor Ambode said that one of the cardinal points of his administration was to make traditional birth attendants a relevant factor in child care delivery, hence the urgent need to improve the skill of the traditional health attendants to reduce maternal mortality.

Governor Ambode said Lagos already has a functional Traditional Medicine Board that has strategic programs that are targeted towards regulating, monitoring, promoting and integrating traditional medicine into health policy based on the Alma Alta Declaration of W.H.O. 1978.

He said the intention of his administration is to streamline traditional medicine so as to change the perception of traditional medicine as a religious and spirit-magical practice by virtue of their proximity and accessibility to the rural dwellers.

“Traditional Birth Attendants are part of the birthing process all over the world. They remain the preferred service providers for delivery in rural communities over the formal health facilities. They are usually self-taught or informally trained.

“Pregnancy which should be a thing of joy is now seen as death warrant for most women due to the weak Primary Health Care system. Despite the provision of health services through Primary Health Centres, many still patronize Traditional Birth Attendants.  This shows the level of trust people repose in them and of course their relevance in Primary Healthcare delivery,” he said.

He said the training of the TBAs covered several areas including protecting the health of mother and baby, care of women during pregnancy and child birth, treatment of complications due to miscarriage and or unsafe abortion, pre-pregnancy advice and health education, care of new born, among others.

To this end, Governor Ambode said his administration would continue to do all within its powers to take traditional medicine to a higher level through innovative research and development, just as he assured that Government would continue to strengthen its efforts in the areas of Regulation, Training, Coordination, Monitoring and Supervision of practice of Traditional Medicine towards effective integration with orthodox medicine.