Saraki: Wellbeing Foundation Will Tackle Maternal Mortality in Nigeria

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Wife of the Senate President and President, Wellbeing Foundation, Africa, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Saraki, has reiterated the commitment of the foundation towards preventing untimely death of pregnant women during child birth.

She said in achieving the objective, the foundation has partnered with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom and Johnson and Johnson, United States of America, so as to train health personnel in Kwara State and other parts of the country so as to check sudden deaths of pregnant women during child birth.

Saraki made the declaration in Ilorin, Kwara State capital recently during her visit to General Hospital and Sobi Hospital in Ilorin as part of sensitisation and advocacy programme of the foundation to the pregnant women in the state.

She said the decision of the foundation to collaborate with other international health agencies was to expose the state’s health personnel on various strategies that would assist in informing pregnant women on what they should be doing to forestall unforeseen situations during child birth.

“The training would also serve as impetus to health personnel in the state on the need to be more proactive in the discharging of their duties for overall benefit of mankind.”

The wife of the Senate president who used the occasion to present various handbooks to the pregnant women on how to have a hitch-free delivery especially the kind of nutrition they should adhere with during pregnancy advised them to shun all forms of activities that may affect their smooth delivery.

Saraki who also presented the pregnant women with empowerment items like free sewing machines assured them that, her foundation with other donor agencies would continue to rise to their needs so as to make them self-reliant after their child delivery.

In her remarks, the Head, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK in Nigeria, Hajia Awwal Mohammed said the sensitization programme has impacted positively on the state.

“The programme is now being enjoyed by six local government councils in Kwara State and it would soon be extended to other nine local government councils so as to reduce infant mortality.”