Lagos plans hotlines for pregnant women in emergency

The Lagos State government is planning to introduce emergency hotlines for pregnant women as part of measures to check maternal and child mortality in the state.
When concluded, pregnant women in emergency situation will be able to reach out for help using the hotlines which will be toll-free. This is also coming to complement the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) being sited in different parts of the state as a way of bringing healthcare closer to the grassroots.
Abimbola Fashola, wife of the state governor, disclosing this at the maiden edition of the Lagos West Senatorial District town hall meeting on maternal and child mortality reduction held at Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area, Thursday, said the toll-free lines would be switched on before October this year.
She believes the initiative would help a great deal in reducing maternal mortality especially at the grassroots level.
Nigeria is listed as one of the five countries around the world with high mortality/infant rate, a development, the governor’s wife described as worrisome and must be curtailed.
“This is a situation that I am personally interested in ensuring that we do not only talk of reducing but totally eradicate maternal and child mortality. Here in Lagos, we only want to be associated with things that win awards; we don’t want things that cause pain”.
“Hopefully, before the next town hall meeting we would be able to introduce the toll-free hotlines to ensure that by October when the maternal and child mortality reduction programme clocks one year, we would have made success in this regard”, she said.
The Lagos first lady noted that though government must provide necessary infrastructure at the healthcare centres, the planned reduction in mother and child mortality would not be achieved if the PHCs are not patronised.
Speaking also, Jide Idris, the state commissioner for health, advised that pregnant women make use of the PHCs nearest to them, saying that government has commenced the upgrading of PHCs in each of the 57 local governments and local council development areas as flagship healthcare centres to cater for maternal and child issues.
Yewande Adeshina, the special adviser on public health to the state governor, explained that tertiary healthcare centres such as the Teaching and General Hospitals are like secondary schools and universities which a student cannot attend without passing through the primary school first. Adeshina said recently three doctors each were recruited to work at PHCs in local council areas in addition to those already on ground.
Funmilayo Tejuoso, a female member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, also speaking at the town hall meeting, encouraged pregnant women who prefer to patronise traditional birth attendants to also register at PHCs in order to have a place to fall back to in the event of complications.

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Health and Fitness