Governor Olusegun Mimiko, of Ondo State has implored the incoming Rotimi Akeredolu administration to build on its Mother and Child healthcare policies so that pregnancy will not again be a “death sentence in the state.”
 
Mimiko gave this charge in Akure during the 2nd anniversary of the initiative, where he was lauded by stakeholders for the accomplishments made in the eight years of his administration, especially in the health sector.
 
He noted that the scheme was aimed at reducing the high maternal death rate in states and country at large, so that pregnant women and their babies can be adequately taken care of during and after delivery.
 
The governor recounted the efforts put into the scheme by his government, especially the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), who were prevailed upon to desist from such harmful traditional practices, and the sunsequent recruitment of Agbebiye Vanguards across the 203 wards of the state.
 
According to him, the traditional attendants voluntarily gave up their practices to be trained by the state government in various vocational skills to sustain themselves economically and offer them financial empowerment through soft loans.
 
“Today, a total of 14,121 referrals of babies are born safely through this initiative,” he said, emphasising that the Abiye, Agbebiye and Orirewa Initiatives of the state government have helped to drastically reduce maternal mortality.
 
Read more at https://guardian.ng/news/mimiko-tasks-incoming-government-stakeholders-o...