Reps want free medical care for pregnant women

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives has urged the Ministry of Health to issue directives enabling free medical care for pregnant women during and after delivery in public healthcare institutions.p
The Ministry is also to implement routine checks to ensure continuity, compliance by medical personnel, and sustainability of childbirth processes.
The House mandated the Committee on Healthcare Services and Healthcare Institutions to invite the Hon. Minister of Health to propose a solution to this innovative trend and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled, “Need to Allow Pregnant Women to Access Free Medical Treatment from Public Health Institutions During and after Delivery” sponsored by Hon. Mohammed Dan Abba Shehu on Wednesday.
The House said it was aware that the government allocates an annual budget to public healthcare institutions to fund healthcare service delivery to the citizens’ particularly pregnant women whose families cannot afford medical treatment during pregnancy and childbirth.
It said it was also aware of the 2019 statistics report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which revealed that the fertility rate in the 2019 population of 200, 963, 599 was 5.67%; in 2018, 195,874,683 represented 5.67%; in 2017, 190,873,244 represented 5.67%; and in 2016, the total population of 186,960,241 represented 5.67% of the fertility rate of childbirth in the country.
This, it said, indicated the need for free medical treatment for pregnant women to boost the country’s fertility rate.
The House was alarmed that Nigeria is grappling with high disease rates, resulting in an annual maternal mortality rate of expectant mothers and children due to pregnancy complications and the polio virus.
The House said it was further aware that government neglect requires public healthcare institutions to have medical professionals give adequate attention to patients, including pregnant women, during childbirth to address complications and find permanent solutions.
The House was disturbed that the 2019 UNICEF report shows that 7.2 million child births are recorded annually, with 262,000 babies dying at birth and 357 dying within the first month.
It said while the birth rate in 2019 was 37.684 per 1,000 people, which represents a decline of 1.09% from 2018, the birth rate in 2018 was 38.098 births per 1,000 people, representing a 1.25% decline from 2017, compared to the global average of 18.5 births per 1,000 population in 2016.
The House was convinced of the need for the government to prioritize policy actions aimed at improving healthcare delivery systems, particularly for pregnant women, to alleviate their hardships and boost their confidence.