By Adeyinka Adeniran
In a bid to help fight the scourge of maternal and infant mortality rate in the state, a non governmental organisation, Omotayo Charity Foundation, an offshoot of the Omotayo Maternity Home (OMH), Oke-Ado, Ibadan and Rotary Club International on Saturday took to the street to sensitize women on the importance of reducing the rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria, maintaining that no woman should die while bringing life to the world.
The awareness walk tagged: “I can make a difference” was part of activities to mark the 2023 Abiye Lomo Walk for Maternal and Child Health.
The walk which kick-started at Omotayo Maternity Home went through Oke-Ado to Oke-Bola, Ogunpa, Beere, Molete areas of Ibadan, before terminating at St Annes School, Molete.
Participants at the event, including members of the Rotary Club, International, Ibadan seized the opportunity to commemorate the 2023 Polio Day in the state, among others.
Speaking after the rally, while sensitizing pregnant women, and nursing mothers, among others, Head of the OMH, Mrs Peju Agunbiade, said over 2,000 women have benefitted from the gesture in terms of free antenatal care, free delivery, cesarean sections, and family planning, among other services offered to members of the public.
Agunbiade, a nurse, Consultant Midwife and Fertility Consultant, explained that the rally was inspired by the need for reawakening and increased awareness based on knowledge and experiences gathered through reading, researching and working in different places across the globe over the past few years.
She said it is wrong for a woman to die while having a baby, not to have adequate antenatal care and not to go to the hospital for antenatal care because of financial constraints.
She said: “The project initially was named: free antenatal care and free delivery, and that has been going on for over four years but now we have changed the slogan to ‘reducing maternal mortality rate in Nigeria, no woman should die while bringing life to this world’, which is what the project is all about.”
She disclosed that she was motivated to embark on the project when she relocated to Nigeria and discovered the alarming rate of maternal mortality in the country, did some investigations and decided to make a difference and do something about reducing the mortality rate in Nigeria.
The OMH Head said: “So, just before my 50th birthday, I told myself that instead of having a very big party I can actually raise funds with my friends and put the money together and start providing free antenatal care and free delivery and that was how it started.
“It’s been great, it’s been good, extremely challenging as well but the joy that I derive from doing the project and the support I get from friends, family and my wonderful donors keeps me going,” she enthused.
Agunbiade identified some of the challenges facing the project as: some women not coming to the hospital prepared and having their bags packed with basic things they need, women who can afford to pay pretending they cannot out of greed, those who abuse the opportunity the project presents by getting pregnant frequently, and lack of input from government, among other challenges.
“I have tried to reach out to the government but you know in Nigeria you’ve got to give tips and I’ve promised myself that I’m not going to do that because I want to have access to someone. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing so I don’t get distracted. Why would I tip my way through to seeing someone when I’m actually helping government? Delivery in government hospitals is not free”, she added.
Speaking of their involvement in the event, Rotarians Olatunde Edunfunke and Kazeem Olanrewaju, President, Rotary Club, Ibadan Gold and President, Rotary Club, Ibadan, Pathfinder, District 9125 respectively said the synergy between the two organisations was established in the bid to promote maternal and child health.
“Every October 21st is declared as World Polio Day Celebration and my club always celebrate the day to create awareness towards eradicating Polio totally from the surface of the earth. Rotary Club has been at the forefront of eradicating Polio in the last 35 years. It is only two countries that Polio is still existing and that includes: Afghanistan and Pakistan and we are raising the awareness.
“Although Nigeria has been certified Polio free but due to increasing population and daily births across the country, we are creating awareness for Polio immunisation for the infant so that there won’t be reoccurrence”, Edunfunke said
“We do a lot including partnership to ensure that Polio is totally eradicated and hence the relationship and synergy with Omotayo Charity Foundation, since the Abiye Lomo programme champions maternal and child health which aligns with the theme of Rotary too. We partner yearly to ensure we reach out to pregnant women, and nursing mothers to ensure both mother and child get the vaccination”, Olanrewaju added.
