Sikirat Shehu
Raji Razaq, a Medical Doctor and Kwara State Commissioner for Health has said that Nigeria is among countries with high rate of maternal mortality in the world.
Razaq, who stated this on Thursday in his remark at the leadership management training and awards presentation on advance family planning; posited that family planning remains the best method to prevent and reduce maternal mortality in Nigeria.
Represented by Oluwatosin Fakayode (Dr), at the program organised by the Awareness Initiatives for good living (AIGL), Family Planning (FP) unit of the Ministry of Health, the Commissioner assured that the state government will continue to partner with various stakeholders on FP in the state.
“To preserve the future of tomorrow, we must ensure that mothers don’t die while producing another life.
“It is of immense great sadness to loose a mother during birth, even if the child survives,” he said.
He informed that the state has budget line which is promptly released.
Earlier, Ajibola Jimoh, the AIGL Chairman said the unit has been at the forefront of ensuring healthy society through safe mother and child Initiatives.
He noted that with the high rate of maternal mortality across the country; all tiers of government must be committed towards proving funds for quality health care delivery.
Some challenges to effective FP across the state and Nigeria as a whole according to Jimoh include; religious and cultural beliefs, poverty, and ignorance among others problems.
He therefore appealed to government to create budget line for FP and train necessary stakeholders for defective implantation of the program.
According to him, the Pathfinder International, a Nongovernmental organisation, has been a strong stakeholder supporting and funding FP programs in Nigeria.
He lamented that the organization has recently concluded its activities in the state and it’s now left for the state government and other well meaning organisation to continue with the initiative.
Highlight of the event include presentation of awards to media partners who champion the cause of FP, including the Herald Newspaper, Sobi FM, Harmony FM, and Radio Kwara