Pregnant women in Oyo who avoid ante-natal to pay N50,000

PREGNANT women in Oyo state will be mandated to attend ante-natal and deliver their babies at only registered health care providers or traditional birth centres or asked to pay a fine of N50,000 for contravening the state’s law.

Also, any husband who hinders a pregnant woman from giving birth to her baby (babies) at a registered healthcare provider or traditional birth centre offering maternity services will face a fine of N50,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months.

These stipulations are contained in Oyo State Family Planning, Reproductive Health and Maternity Services Bill, 2017, which passed the second reading at the Oyo state House of Assembly, on Thursday.

The bill as espoused by Honourable Wumi Oladeji of Ogbomoso North constituency, on behalf of eight other members, also states that healthcare providers or traditional birth attendants should report the death of any expectant mother to the Oyo State Reproductive Health and Maternity Services Monitoring Committees or pay a fine of N50,000 or face three months imprisonment.

Other sponsors of the bill are Honourable Silas Okunlola, Bolanle Agbaje, Olusegun Ajanaku, Lukman Balogun, Abdulganiyu Oseni, Solomon Akande, Muyideen Wahab and Olasunkanmi Oguntade.

The bill reads in parts, “Every expectant mother in the state shall ensure that they attend the ante-natal clinic and deliver their babies at a registered healthcare provider or traditional birth centre providing maternity services.

“Any expectant mother who contravenes the provision of Section 9 (1) is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N50,000

“The husband of an expectant mother or anyone who prevents, hinders or does any other thing to deny an expectant mother from delivering her babies in a registered healthcare provider or traditional birth centre offering maternity services is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N50,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months.

“Where an expectant mother dies either at pregnancy or during labour, the health care provider or traditional birth attendant offering maternity services to her shall report same to the committee within one month.

“Any health care provider or traditional birth attendant who fails to report such death to the committee shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction be liable to a fine of N50,000 or to three months imprisonment.”

In her presentation of the bill, Oladeji explained that the intents of the law being sought were to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, promote the rights of women to have access to reproductive health and adequate maternity services and ensure their access to quality and comprehensive family planning services.

The bill passed to the House Committee on Health for scrutiny will see the establishment of reproductive health and maternity services committee at the state level and in each local government area.

The state committee will monitor the level of ante-natal and post-natal care, seal up illegal premises being used for maternity services, ensure non-utilisation of unprofessional nurses and midwives for maternity services and monitor the activities of health care providers providing maternity services in the state.

The bill further stipulates that all hospitals, clinics, maternity homes or health care centres cannot provide maternity services without having all requisite facilities, equipment and qualified experienced personnel.

Listed as compulsory for any health care provider to render maternity services are waiting room, palpation room, standard delivery room, lying-in room, delivery kits, clean toilets, spacious and safe environment, well-lit environment.

The bill states that anyone who fails to have requisite facilities is liable upon conviction to a fine of N200,000, coupled with such facility being sealed up.

The new law will also mandate that health care providers recruit only qualified medical doctors, licenced midwives and nurses with experience in maternity services to offer maternity services, failure of which such health care provider is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for one year.

In addition, health care providers offering maternity services shall be mandated to register with the appropriate authority of the state or face a fine of N100,000 and shall have such facility sealed until it is registered.

The bill recognizes traditional birth attendants as capable of providing safe maternity services but stipulates that such centres must be registered with the appropriate state authority and have qualified personnel trained in maternity services.

The state government is tasked to adequately fund reproductive health programmes and provide access to contraception and family planning services.