WHO boosts C/River with multi-million dollar health equipment

Cross River State government has received from various equipment, capacity building and other services from World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nation Populations Funds (UNFPA) worth several millions of dollars. Disclosing this to our correspondent in Calabar the state capital shortly after the International Day of the Midwife, an official of WHO, Dr. Edmond Egbe, said his organization and UNFPA are committed to strengthening health care delivery services in the state.

He noted that WHO supported the establishment of two schools of midwifery and donated two buses as well as ensuring that the programs in the school are accredited. On his part, the program specialist of UNFPA, Dr. Yakubu Aliyu, said that his organization was able to support the state government in establishing a Vistula centre and provided equipment and supplies for the repair of Vistula clients.

He explained that even though the group has also provided a lot of information and services to young people to ensure that as future mothers, they have adequate information and make informed decision as regard productive health. “Recently, we supported cross river state government to establish a Vistula centre and provided equipment and supplies for the repair of Vistula clients even though we have also provided a lot of information and services to young people to ensure that as future mothers, they have adequate information and make informed decision as regard productive health”
The duo expressed regret that the state has inadequate midwifes to administer care for the pregnant women and children.
He described said midwives as very important, especially in providing health care to mothers and children.
“We know that the maternal mobility ratio in Nigeria is more than 500 even though there are regional variations; if you look at respective states you will see that there is low mortality rate in the northern part of Nigeria.
“This is attributed to the role of midwives in providing maternal care from antenatal to delivery, providing information on family planning etc. We all know that there is paucity of midwives in Nigeria and even that it varies from states to states. We are fully aware of the role of federal government in providing basic health. If you look at the health facilities in cross river state, most of the maternal services are provided by community health extension workers (CHEW), we need midwives to provide these basic services and give it professional handle.

“We all know that no matter how the country developed, 15 % of the pregnant mothers will require emergency and surgical care and we know that the major cause of dead are bleeding, prolonged labour, complications from abortion, infections, eclamptia etc. And if you have the facility, the midwife will provide emergency and professional care, with necessary equipment and drugs, we will serve life”.

“UNFPA mandate is to ensure that every pregnancy is safe which means supporting maternal services and we are providing equipment and supplies to health facilities in cross river state and build capacity of health care providers” Dr Aliyu stated.