As part of measures to reduce maternal mortality among women of child bearing age, the Ogun State Government has introduced a free Safe Delivery Programme tagged: “Ibidero”, to provide vulnerable pregnant women with free antenatal care, delivery and post-natal care up to six months after childbirth.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, made this known during an activation meeting of the State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU) field workers selected for the implementation of the programme, adding that the initiative comes with a token for each beneficiary to be in a well-nourished position to breastfeed the new child.
Coker, who described “Ibidero” as an extension of “Ilera Dero”, a State Health Insurance Scheme, designed to provide accessible and qualitative healthcare for residents, noted that the free safe delivery initiative would help tackle child- birth complications in remote communities across the State.
She said, ‘’the initiative is targeted at the poorest of the poor pregnant women with free antenatal care, delivery, and post-natal care up to six months after delivery.
“After launching our Health Insurance Scheme, “Ilera Dero”, His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun thought it necessary to address the issue of maternal, prenatal, and postnatal mortality among pregnant women who may be too poor to use orthodox means of delivery’’.
The Commissioner added that the beneficiaries would be selected based on the State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU) social register list which comprises the poorest of the poor people in the State, calling on the field officers to do justice to the assignment at hand.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Ogun State Health Insurance Agency (OGSHIA), Dr. Afolabi Dosunmu said the “Ibidero” programme would encourage pregnant women in rural and urban areas, to enroll on the health insurance scheme, noting that it would guarantee access to safe delivery and quality health care services.
In his remark, the State Coordinator, SOCU, Mr. Tunde Adebiyi appreciated Governor Dapo Abiodun for creating a conducive avenue in providing affordable health care for the people, particularly the indigent in the society, saying extreme poverty is one of the factors responsible for maternal mortality in the country, expressed optimism that the initiative would be a huge success.
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