Experts advocate free maternal health care services in Nigeria

Some experts have called on the incoming political leaders to make maternal health care and family planning services free across the country.

They made the call in Abuja during the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ) summit themed: “Re-echoing Voices for Family Planning Funding and the Need to Make Maternal Health Services Free by Incoming Political Leaders.”

The one-day summit was supported by the Partnership for Advocacy In Child and Family Health at Scale (PACFaH@scale), anchored by the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC).

President Emeritus of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), Prof. Oladapo Ladipo, said maternal health care should be free for every pregnant mother.

“That is, every pregnant mother should have free antenatal care; free intrapartum and free post-natal care. The reason is very simple. These women are producing the next generation of Nigerians and deserve access to quality and safe health care during their pregnancy,” he said.

Dr Ejike Orji, Chairman Technical Management Committee, Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), said only 6.51 million women use a modern method of contraception in Nigeria.

Orji, who is also a senior special assistant to the Minister of FCT on Health and Hospital Management, said as a result of contraceptive use, 2.28 million unintended pregnancies will be prevented; 816,000 unsafe abortions will be averted, and 15,000 maternal deaths will be averted.