The Ogun government has said it plans to inaugurate a “Hub and Spoke” pilot project to incorporate Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) in health facilities to reduce maternal and perinatal deaths.

“So, we have decided to bring these traditional maternity practitioners to the table, understand their challenges, and train them on dangers and signs of safe motherhood and neonatal care,” the state Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, said.

During a meeting with the TBAs at Ilisan-Remo, Mr Coker described the project as “a strategic referral pathway that integrates TBAs, Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Secondary Health facilities and the Teaching Hospital, to fast-track a drastic reduction of perinatal deaths in the state.”

The commissioner said that the government had identified TBAs as  integral part of its vision of enhancing the maternal and perinatal healthcare system.

He added that “this project will avail us the opportunity to come to terms with the fact that many of our people are comfortable with the TBAs.

“By collaborating with TBAs, we also have the massive chance to provide supportive supervision of their activities. This will go a long way to positively impact the maternal and perinatal burden in the state.”

Mr Coker called on relevant stakeholders in Ikenne Local Government Area to support the pilot phase of the project, “which would be inaugurated officially very soon.”

According to the commissioner, the project will be replicated in other council areas of the state in the coming months.

Reacting, the state chairman of the TBAs, Oladehinde Shoremekun, said that the relationship between the present administration and his members through the Ogun Alternate Medicine Board had been yielding good results.

(NAN)