The Lagos State House of Assembly says it is worried about alleged high
maternal mortality rate in government hospitals supposedly caused by
personnel negligence, among other factors.
The Assembly added that it had put machinery in motion towards investigating the trend, with a view to finding a lasting solution to it.
The Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Health Services, Olusegun Olulade, who said this on Friday, explained that his committee would pay scheduled and unscheduled visits to general hospitals in Lagos State in order to establish the truth of the allegation.
Olulade spoke while addressing a petition brought before the committee by Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, a non-governmental organisation with focus on supporting women’s sexual and reproductive rights.
The three-page petition by one Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said women die in public hospitals due to “poor infrastructure, ineffective health services, high user fees, and negligence by medical personnel.”
The petition named a victim, Mrs. Omowunmi Shonuga, who died with her baby after childbirth at the Rauf Aregbesola Health Centre in Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area, Alimosho.
She allegedly died as a result of inadequate medical care.
Olulade expressed bitterness over the incident, saying, “We promise to take swift steps in ensuring that such actions by erring personnel are halted. Managements of public hospitals are urged to wake up to their duties of providing effective health care in Lagos State.”
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, told the meeting that the government was committed to providing health care in its optimal standard, particularly in the areas where high rates of maternal and child mortalities were recorded.
“The case of late Mrs. Shonuga has been brought to my attention. I assure this gathering that the affected personnel would be dealt with accordingly. I learnt that the doctor, who was supposed to be on duty, was not available when the incident occurred,” Idris added.
By: Sesan Olufowobi
Punch News
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