By Damiete Braide
HACEY in partnership with Ford Foundation has renovated and equipped the Akinogun Primary Healthcare Centre in Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.
The renovation was made possible through the organization’s Good Neighborhood committee initiative.
The facility, which previously lacked delivery services and did not operate 24 hours daily, has now given access to pregnant women for round-the-clock maternity services.
The project is expected to reduce the distance women travel to access obstetric care and improve access to safer childbirth, particularly for residents who previously had to visit general hospitals several kilometres’ away to deliver their babies.
The intervention came amid concerns about Nigeria’s maternal mortality burden. A global report cited by the project estimated that Nigeria accounts for 28.3 percent of maternal deaths worldwide, representing approximately 8,200 deaths.
The upgraded centre now offers 24-hour maternity services, routine immunisation, outpatient care and essential family planning services. A 10-kilowatt-hour solar power system has also been installed to support uninterrupted operations, while the new maternity ward is equipped for childbirth and newborn care.
Speaking on the intervention, HACEY’s executive director, Rhoda Robinson, said no woman should face preventable risks during childbirth because of inadequate access to healthcare.
“Birthing and childbirth should not be a life-or-death situation. This project aims to bridge that gap in the community. The goal is to ensure that every woman has access to safe birthing services and quality healthcare when and where they need it,” she said.
Robinson thanked Ford Foundation, local government authorities, the health district and healthcare workers for supporting the initiative. She said HACEY would continue collaborating with stakeholders to improve access to comprehensive healthcare.
As part of the project, 2,000 safe birthing kits have been provided for pregnant women through antenatal services. The kits contain essential clean-delivery supplies, including sterile gloves, antiseptic solution, cord clamps, gauze, sanitary pads, delivery mats and clean blades.
Other equipment supplied to the centre include delivery beds, obstetric tables, foetal dopplers, blood pressure monitors, sterile delivery packs, autoclaves, suction machines, oxygen concentrators and neonatal resuscitation equipment.
Frontline health workers have also received training on the proper use and maintenance of the equipment. Pregnant women attending antenatal sessions were equally provided with maternal health education and safe birthing kits.
The Programme Manager at the Ford Foundation Office of West Africa, Ehinor Esezobor Joy, said the intervention reflected the foundation’s commitment to preventing avoidable maternal deaths.
“No woman should die for reasons that can be prevented. That is why the Ford Foundation is proud to support HACEY’s work to improve maternal health in Alimosho,” she said.
Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Health District 1, Dr Sola Pitan, said the availability of maternity services within the community would ease the burden on pregnant women, who previously travelled long distances to obtain obstetric care.
“A pregnant woman no longer has to travel several kilometres for care. She can walk calmly to this centre in her own environment and access the obstetric care she needs,” Pitan said.
He described the development as welcome for the health district, adding that healthcare workers were prepared to meet the demands of the expanded services.
The facility was formally handed over to local health authorities and its management at a ceremony attended by representatives of HACEY, the Ford Foundation, Lagos State Health District 1, Mosan-Okunola LCDA, healthcare workers and community stakeholders.
Chairman of Mosan-Okunola LCDA, Opeyemi Akindele, described the centre as an important addition to healthcare delivery in the area.
“We have a slogan: ‘No woman must come in here and die.’ In this area, we had no facility where women could deliver. Now, we have a maternity room, delivery beds and 24-hour solar power. Our women can live here safely, by God’s grace, any time of day. We are ready for them,” he said.
To sustain the intervention, an equipment maintenance and tracking system will help facility personnel manage the resources provided.
HACEY said it would continue working with the centre and relevant authorities to monitor the use and maintenance of the maternity services, equipment and infrastructure, with the aim of improving access to quality maternal healthcare in the community.
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