By Yetunde Fatungase
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun has urged members of the Association of Feto-Maternal Medicine Specialists in Nigeria to find solutions to maternal and infant mortality in the country.
Abiodun made the plea while receiving the association’s President, Prof. Saturday Etuk, who paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday in Abeokuta.
He said that as professionals dealing with issues related to pregnant women and unborn children, members of the association should continue to do more to save mothers and new born babies.
The governor said efforts of members of the association had so far, ensured that “more people are surviving maternal care and more children are not born as still birth”.
Abiodun said the state had invested in the rehabilitation of over 236 Primary Healthcare Centres, provision of modern medical equipment, employment and improved welfare for health workers.
“When we came in, there were five ambulances for a population of between six and seven million people, that makes it one ambulance for one million people.
“But, we thank God that now, we have about 50 ambulances; we are even running an ambulance service to cover the whole state,” he said.
The governor said that his first official visit on assumption of office was to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.
“I want to tell you that I was highly disappointed with what I met on ground. The infrastructure had collapsed totally and the hospital was understaffed.
“We are repositioning the hospital now with new medical equipment and we have also carried out recruitment of medical personnel.
“Very soon, the hospital will have a world class mother and children ward,” he said.
The governor thanked the association for the visit, assuring them that the state government would put more efforts to enhance health services in the state.
He pledged to assist the association as it hold its national conference in the state.
“We hope that your deliberations will promote excellent maternal and child healthcare and standardise the practice of gynaecology in the country,” Abiodun said.
Earlier, Etuk had earlier said that the visit was aimed at finding ways of reducing infant and maternal mortality in the country.
He said that members of the association were in the state for a scientific conference to also find ways of training specialists on how to handle issues related to unborn babies and their mothers.
Etuk commended the governor’s vision on health, saying that it tallied with the vision of the association of reducing maternal and infant mortality rate in the state. (NAN)