SOGON expresses concern over poor maternal and child health indices

Secretary general of the Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (SOGON) Dr. Chris Agbogoroma has expressed serious concern over poor maternal and child health indices as contained in a recent National Demographic survey.

Agbogoroma who spoke at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja during a meeting of the members said that a lot needed to be done to save women.
According to him: “Recent publications by National Demographic survey shows that the effort we are putting in have not made any significant impact as women are still dying in large numbers from the process of pregnancy, child delivery and within first two days after delivery.

“Many of our women are still dying. Even though we think we have made some impact but the impact is not significant enough.

He asked government, philanthropists and other groups of people in the society as well as non-governmental organisations to do more by investing heavily in maternal health.

The secretary indicated that it has to be done expeditiously because the women are the people that keep the society growing up from one generation to the next.

“If we allow them to die why they are pregnant or in the process of delivery who will give us children and how do we replace the society.

“So we need to invest more. We have not done enough. I am one of those who believes that a percentage of the health Budget should be reserved for women health.”

He said that a percentage of the national income should be reserved for women health saying that it is the only way the Nigerian Society can be preserved.

“Women are very important in any society. Unfortunately we referred to them as the weaker sex, they are weak and we have to make sure that the weakness in them is removed.

“We have to provide for them. We must support them and we must be there for them.”

He said that his mission in Kogi was to meet with colleagues obstetrician and Gyneacologists in the state, under the MCSP project that the state was involved in.

The secretary said in recent times, they had identified that one of the reason why women die was because when they get to near where they would be taken care of it is either there are no people to take care of them or the people who are there are not qualified.

Such quarks he observed didn’t know exactly what to do or they were not well skilled so the society was out to improve the skills of people who are taking care of women to prevent women dying in their facilities.

“Because this project is just about to start we are trying to reach out. One of the main issues is the need for us to reach out to all segment of the society about the Volunteer Obstetricians Scheme (VOS) so that when the gynaecologists go to the field they can be accepted that they have come to do what is good.”

Agbogoroma said that it was important for the society to know why they were into the voluntary service not because they just like moving from place to place.

“It is because we identify that people need to be supported where we are working and improve our capacity so that women don’t die in their hands.

The interim chairman of the society in the State Dr. Akogu Simon said that the members of the society were coming together to ensure the practice of their chosen field was taken to the next level so that beneficiaries would be better off.

He said that there were fifteen registered obstetrician practicing in Kogi State who were determined to place the interest of pregnant mothers and their babies foremost.

In his words: “We have come together to move the practice forward in the state and the aim of this is to reduce maternal and child mortality; the death of mother and child at the time of delivery.

“It is to also ensure that services reach those who need it. Today our national secretary has come because Kogi State has been chosen along with Ebonyi State among all the states in the country to participate in a maternal and child survival program which is being run by a United States Agency for International Development.”