HELWEI partners USAID/SHOPS & DKT, DaveStar Hospital to boost maternal child health

As part of efforts to improve maternal child health in the country, Healthy Living & Women Empowerment Initiative –(HELWEI), a non-profit and non-governmental organisation, in partnership with DaveStar Hospital, USAID/SHOPS and DKT International Nigeria, recently organised a 3-day community health intervention on pre-natal, family planning and nutrition to protect the womenfolk.
The effort, according to the organizers was borne out of the increasing rate of maternal-child mortality.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), more than one woman die every minute from pregnancy and childbirth, about 585,000 die every year. This problem is not peculiar to Nigeria, as statistics also show increase in the rate of casualties. Experts are of the opinion that child spacing (family planning), prenatal care, among others are key to strengthening maternal child health. In a bid to achieve this, HELWEI decided to seek ways to enlighten members of the communities, especially women within the child-bearing age 16-45 years in an event tagged ‘Save A Woman, Save A Generation,’ held in Isheri Oshun, in Igando/Ikotun LCDA, Alimosho, Lagos State.

Speaking on the initiative, Ebere Okey-Onyema, founder / executive director of Healthy Living & Women Empowerment Initiative and initiator of the event, said as an NGO that cares for the health and wellbeing of women and children, HELWEI decided to partner DaveStar Hospital, USAID/SHOPS and DKT International Nigeria to sensitise and enlighten mothers and mothers-to-be on safety measures against diseases that send women and children to their early grave. “Women are reliable members of the society who played vital role for the sustainable development of the family. That is why we must all join hands and save our women from preventable diseases claiming their lives every minute,” she said.
Okey-Onyema further stated: “The intervention is a major one and not just a one-off thing where the participants just receive lecture, rather, with the support of our partners, we planned to carry out free health services which include; prenatal care, family planning methods, diseases screening & checks, blood test, consultation and counseling for three days.
“The support we got from our partners to do this, was quite amazing. People that came in for this intervention would never have been able to use the hospital and facilities without the partnership. We bless God for the facility DaveStar & USAID/SHOPS provided and equipment supplied by DKT International with their collaboration. It helps tremendously in improving maternal health care. We have record.”
Interestingly, programme of this magnitude often attracts fee. But for the NGO, it is absolutely free since we are on a rescue mission to contribute our own quota in helping the country to attain one of the United Nation Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which is to improved maternal health. We‘ll not stop here, but take the campaign to other parts of the country where awareness is low.
Notable speakers at the event include, O.S. Orebiyi, medical officer of Health (MOH) Igando/Ikotun LCDA, Alimosho, D.O. Akinola, deputy director, Federal Ministry of Health, Shafau, consultant, USAID/SHOPS and Ayomide Adesanya, DKT International Nigeria. They all dazzled the audience who were made up mainly women and girls from different strata of the community with their presentations. They made them aware that the only way to healthy motherhood, is to pay attention closely to issues that impact on maternal child health. These issues should never be push aside for other event. They include; reduction in abortion, pregnancy care, sex education, nutrition, child spacing, breast feeding and immunization.
According to Akinola, pregnant care is a very serious matter. At this stage, we must look out for signs such as swollen legs, excessive vomiting, bleeding, high blood pressure, malaria, headache etc. Though, these symptoms vary from woman to woman. “In any case, always consult your care giver if you notice any sign. Don’t sit back and use what your friend used when she saw similar sign. Yes, it could be similar signs but your friend’s headache could have been caused by something different from yours,” Akinola noted.
He however, advised pregnant women who patronised traditional birth attendants, spiritualist or use “Agbo” to make sure they register with government-approved health care giver. He also called for exclusive breast feeding and complete immunization.