REPORTER: ROSEMARY ELEE
As Nigeria joins the global community to commemorate Safe Motherhood Day, some health professionals in Anambra State have called for sustained investment in healthcare infrastructure and man power development, especially in rural areas.
The health professionals also advocated aggressive grassroots mobilisation to educate women on the importance of planning their pregnancy and accessing skilled maternal care for safe delivery
Commenting on the Day, a senior registrar at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital Amaku Awka, Doctor Ifeanyichukwu Aniedu wants government at all levels to ensure that adequately equipped health facilities are brought closer to the grassroots and trained health professionals empowered to man them.
Doctor Aniedu also emphasizes the need for constant power supply at the health facilities as well as good road network for easy movement in emergency cases.
For her part, the Matron in charge of the Antenatal Care Unit at the same hospital, Mrs. Ebere Obianyo, explains that family planning is a fundamental preventive measure towards reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.
According to Mrs. Obianyo, proper planning enables women to space births and avoid unintended or high risk pregnancies.
Mrs Obianyo further calls for grassroots education campaign to help women understand the importance of planning their pregnancies.
The Officer in charge of the Primary Healthcare Center Mgbakwu, Awka North Local Government Area, Mrs. Virginia Nduka, commends the present administration in the state for its giant strides in the health sector but noted that the facilities still lack basic amenities.
In an interview with some pregnant women, they acknowledged improvement in maternal care in the hospitals they use and called for its sustenance.
Radio Nigeria Correspondent Rosemary Elee reports that the theme for the 2026 celebration is “Equity in Maternal Health Care, Leaving no Mother Behind.”
It focuses on closing gaps in access to care, especially for women in rural areas, poor neighborhood and vulnerable
