Agency A United Kingdom-based maternal health advocate, Mrs Franka Okeke, has appealed to the government at all levels to upgrade healthcare facilities to reduce maternal deaths in the country. She made the appeal in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday while recounting her near-death experience during childbirth in a government-owned hospital in Lagos. She averred that there is a way of minimising maternal deaths in Nigeria, stressing there is an urgent need for the government to increase budgetary allocation to primary health facilities and make them more conducive for pregnant women.
“Government at levels should invest adequate resources in infrastructure development, equipment and drugs for adequate provision of basic and comprehensive emergency care in accordance with global standards,” Okeke said. The maternal health advocate, who noted that the high prevalence of maternal mortality was of concern, called for urgent action to be taken by the government to stop needless maternal deaths. She added, “The government need to do something to stop the needless maternal deaths in Nigeria.
“There is a need to ensure proper monitoring of private hospitals because there are many with quack doctors, while government hospitals are too slow and there are some conditions that require urgent attention. “Besides, the government should provide comprehensive health coverage for Nigerians, especially pregnant women so that out-of-pocket medical expens.
