In a 3 day training on the theme Maternal, Perinatal and Child Death Surveillance Response in Misau, health workers in Bauchi State advocated for active and serious involvement of men in supporting their pregnant wives to reduce complications such as Antepartum and Postpartum hemorrhage as well as maternal and child deaths in the state.
This is among the contributing factors identified during the 3 day training organized for journalists by the USAID funded Integrated Health Programme (IHP) held recently at Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State. They identified this among other issues that include inadequate human resources for health, women non adherence to antenatal and postnatal visit protocols, as well as poor means of transportation, among others.
These problems according to the health workers, if not fully tackled, maternal and child deaths would persist.
The Facility Manager, Misau Town Primary Health Care Centres (PHCC), Suwaiba Garba Gumau, said most pregnant women don’t visit health facilities early, due to husbands’ restrictions and or self denial.
A nurse – midwife, Fatima Bashir, Staff of General Hospital, Misau, told the visiting journalists who were on a field trip, that delay in the issuance of referral letter to secondary health care facility also contributes to maternal, perinatal and child deaths.
Fatima Bashir also said pregnant women face a number of challenges before getting to Primary Health Care Centre due to distance and bad roads.
These issues according to the health workers in the long run prevent the women from accessing health care services at the facility.
They called on journalists to intensify and strengthen their already existing awareness creation mechanism towards arresting the problems.
