Council on Health Implores Sultan to Lead Campaign Against Maternal and Child Death.
The Chairman, National Council on Health who is also the Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has solicited His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, III to lead Campaign against maternal and child death during pregnancy and delivery.
The Minister made the plea over the weekend when he led State Commissioners of Health who converged in Sokoto for the 58th Council meeting to pay courtesy visit on the Sultan of Sokoto in his palace.
Prof. Adewole explained that the council members were committed to implement Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria, which would ensure that every Nigerian irrespective of where she or he lives would be able to access health without suffering financial jeopardy.
His words, “one thing clear to us is your intervention in every health matters would produce dividend, we want to use your name, your office and your personality to drive our efforts to reduce maternal and new born death in Nigeria as you did on polio”.
“What we want is a situation where our women would survived when they carry babies in their wombs and also that the children they deliver should survive, no woman should die just because she wants to give birth and we believed that your words, your leadership in this initiative would help to convince people that a pregnant woman needs care in the hospital”, he said.
“This is our humble request and we are sure that when you agree to take up the leadership we would be able to reduce maternal mortality in Nigeria which is close to what we have in war torn countries, like Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone. We do not deserved to be in this category, this is our humble request to your Eminence and we believe that you would grant our request, we believe that through you we would make a huge difference in this effort” ,he added
In his response, the Sultan of Sokoto Alh. Saad Abubakar, III called on the leaders to provide affordable healthcare services to the people. “We want to have a hospital where I will be treated and discharge free, we want a clinic where a pregnant woman would go and when she comes out she is much better than when she went in”.
“ I have accepted the request of the Hon. Minister, it is our responsibility to work for our people whatever we can do we must do it right, always reach us on any programme you believed that traditional institutions would play their role, we are willing to do so”.
He said “men must allow their wives to go to hospital if they really want their wives to be what they are, unless you are tired with your wife and even if you are tired there are better ways to relief her, don’t kill your wife by refusing to allow her to go to hospital when she is pregnant “he warned.
A statement by Director of Press, Mrs Boade Akinola, added that the Sultan said that the maternal and child health would be part of their agenda during next Northern Traditional Council Committee on Primary Healthcare meeting
“We would put it in the agenda, how to embark on sensitization across the villages on allowing our wives, sisters, mothers to go the hospitals when they are pregnant. We have done that on polio and we have succeeded, we are going to place it on our board now the fight against maternal and child mortality in Nigeria”.
He urged at government at all levels to provide free antenatal care to attract the pregnant women to the hospital.
