Maternal health: FG, Kwara engage NURTW to transport pregnant mothers in distress

In an effort to reduce maternal mortality in the country, the federal government, in collaboration with the Kwara State government, has enlisted members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to provide free transportation for pregnant mothers to healthcare facilities during labour.

During the launch of the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMII) in Ilorin on Friday, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, the national coordinator of MAMII, highlighted that delays contribute significantly to maternal mortality in Nigeria.

Adeyanju emphasised that transportation is a critical factor in this issue, which is why the government has adopted a Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) to address these challenges. He noted that the highest rates of maternal deaths occur in two local government areas in Kwara State: Ilorin East and Moro. This highlights the urgent need for initiatives like MAMII.

To assist pregnant mothers in labour or distress, Adeyanju announced that there will be five NURTW personnel assigned to each ward for transportation services. Additionally, transportation vouchers have been distributed to pregnant women to facilitate access to these services.

“When pregnant women in distress call the number of the vehicles, it will be deployed promptly free of charge.

“Delay in getting to the healthcare facility on time is dangerous to pregnant mothers. The government has designated healthcare facilities where women can also have Caesarian Section free of charge.

“For every woman who will have delivery, there is a mama-kit for them”, he said.

The MAMII national coordinator also said that the Federal Government had already revamped about 2,000 Primary HealthCare Facilities (PHC) nationwide, with 45 of them in Kwara state.

Also speaking, the Kwara state commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina El-Imam, appealed for inclusion of more benefitting local government areas in the state in the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation lnitiative, widely known as MAMII.

The state commissioner said that only two out of the 16 local government areas in the state are captured for the current phase implementation of the programme.

MAMII is a coordinated health intervention effort backed by a compact signed by the Federal, State Governments, and development partners to improve the health of mothers and children.

Dr. El-Imam said that despite huge resources already expended on health care delivery, Kwara state still harbours underserved communities with high maternal and neonatal risks that may not be fully reflected in the national data sets.

The commissioner, who said that the two local government areas, captured for MAMII programme, are Ilorin East and Moro; based on available statistics on maternal and neonatal mortallty, added that more local government areas should be considered in the state, to ensure no woman or chilld is left behind simply due to statistical limitations.

“The MAMII that we are initiating today is not a routine gathering. It is a call to action. It is a milestone in our effort at improving the health of our mother and chid. It has brought solutions that are locally grounded, system-wide and people-centred.

“Over the past 4 days our selected health managers and other stakeholders have been working hard to ensure we arrive at today to initiate the designed intervention for crashing maternal mortality in Kwara State, starting with Moro and llorin East LGAs.

“What sets MAMII apart is not just its ambition, but its alignment with the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), an approach anchored on the National Health Act and the Nigeria Health Sector Reform Investment Initiative (NHSRI).

“This initiative is about one voice, one plan and one coordinated effort backed by a compact signed by Federal, State Governments, and development partners.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the root causes of the problem we are here to solve include delays in seeking care, delays in teaching care, delays in receiving care, and perhaps most tragically, delays in coordination and accountability.

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