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| A group photograph of participants at the training |
To sustain the gains recorded in reduction in the rate of maternal and neonatal mortality in the State , the State government in partnership with the Saving One Million Lives Programme for Results (SOMIL P for R) has developed the capacity of Nurses and Midwives in the state.
In the past few years, Ondo State was said to have had the worst. index of maternal and infant mortality in the country until a revolution was carried out and the tide was stemmed.
A statement by the press officer in the state ministry of health, Abooluwa Famakinwa noted that the The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Taiye Oni commended Skilled Birth Attendants for their roles in the success recorded by the state.
He said the 9 day training on Neonatal Resuscitation which is a train the trainer programme with participants drawn from across the three senatorial districts was put together to further enhance the sustainability of the gains of the past few years by strengthen skilled birth Attendants in health facilities in the state.
In his words, available data shows that Neonatal mortality which accounts for over sixty percent of the deaths of new born is still a significant Public Health problem since majority of the deaths are caused by preventable diseases.
He pledged that the State will not rest on its oars until the 2016 rate of 37 deaths per every 1000 life births , is unacceptable and will be brought to the barest minimum.
The Programme Manager SOMIL P for R, Dr Abiola Oguneneka opined that there was a very bad index of over 9,000 death over 10yrs of maternal and newborn and to address this, SOMIL P for R was put in place to save lives of mothers and new born by training Skilled birth attendants on Neonatal Resuscitation and Care of Newborn.
To her, there is great improvement with recent surveys but the state is targeting hundred percent or zero mortality which she thinks is achievable.
Deputy Director Nursing Services, Mr Opeyemi Oloniyo who is also one of the participants said 50 participants for each session were drawn from primary and secondary health facilities across the State, are meant to replicate the training in their facilities.
He said in time past, a baby is discarded when it does not cry immediately at birth but modern methods of resuscitation which is the skill to be impacted on the Birth Attendants have changed the trend.
Another participant Foluke Adeleye said skills learnt will equip her to make her more efficient to save future generations.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Director Nursing Services of the Ministry of Health said training on intensive care nursing started 17 years ago but stopped due to paucity of funds and this has affected the system negatively as most nurses trained on intensive care had retired thus the need to train new ones.
The height of the programme was a demonstration of modern techniques of Neonatal resuscitation by an expert Dr Resena Oluwafemi.
Abooluwa Famakinwa
Press officer
Ministry of Health /OSPHCDB
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