One of Nigeria’s leading non-governmental organizations, Hacey Health Initiative has commenced plans to implement maternal health plus project in Delta State.
The organization paid an advocacy visit to the Commissioner for Health, Delta State to discuss the commencement of the Project.
The official visit took place at the residence of the Commissioner, Delta State Ministry of Health and it had in attendance the Director of Medical Sciences and Training representing the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, and the Assistant Director representing the Director Planning Research and Statistics.
Mordi Ononye, the Commissioner, applauded Hacey Health Initiative for its previous work carried out in the state to improve the health and livelihood of community members; he particularly appreciated the organization’s Clean water team for the installation of 7 boreholes in 4 Primary Health Care Centers and 3 schools in the state.
Ononye added that he sees all the efforts and encourages the organization to do more, as the federal government alone cannot sufficiently cater to the health needs of the entire populace and was always ready to welcome the support from well-meaning funders and non-governmental organizations like Hacey.
Rhoda Robinson, Hacey’s executive director, quoting WHO stated that about 295 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2017, and that Nigeria’s estimated maternal mortality ratio is over 800 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births, with approximately 58 000 maternal deaths recorded in 2015, adding that in a year, 140 million births take place globally.
Robinson said the maternal health plus project will be beneficial to pregnant women, Health workers and the entire community and state by extension, adding that the project is one that aims to improve the nutritional and mental health status of over 15,000 pregnant and nursing women across communities in the South-South region of the Country.
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Speaking during the visit, Hacey’s Program Manager, Oluwakemi Omole said, “We still have a lot of women who at the time of delivery present at the Primary Health Centres without essential items as a result of their low economic status, we want to be able to ensure that they go through a clean and safe delivery process hence the need for the birthing kits.”
Omole noted that the project which will run for one month will support the state with over 10,000 birthing kits which will be donated to the PHC board.
“Additionally, several studies have shown a direct relationship between poor mental health and poor maternal and child health, we will therefore be training health-workers to incorporate mental health in their Antenatal Care (ANC) and Post Natal Care (PNC) routine,” she said.
HACEY’s Maternal Health project on Malaria has reached 200,000 women with radio messages on malaria prevention, management and treatment across Oyo state.
It has impacted 50,000 pregnant women with life-saving information on preventing, managing, and treating malaria during pregnancy.
The project has successfully engaged 10 Primary health care centres, pregnant women and households with children under five, providing 3,000 safe birthing kits and 10,000 long-lasting insecticide-treated nets. It has trained 40 health workers to reach pregnant women with information on malaria, proper hygiene and behaviour change communication.
While, the maternal health project on Covid-19 has trained 200 community birth attendants (CBAs) to produce disinfectant, bleach, hand wash and cloth face masks for themselves and their patients and benefited 2,000 women.
