Ekiti Residents Link Child and Maternal Deaths to Poverty and Limited Health Services Access

Many pregnant women are giving birth at home because they don’t have enough money and there are not many free health services available.

Some people living in Ekiti State talked about this issue in Ado Ekiti when they met with members of the Rotary-RMCH workshop.

Mrs. Nike Fasuba said that if the government made it free for pregnant women to go to the hospital, a lot of them would go to get the care they need.

She explained that many families can’t afford to pay for hospital bills, so they choose to go to traditional birth attendants instead.

Mr. Fatai Adeboye added that no pregnant woman really wants to give birth at home because it can be very dangerous. However, many of them just don’t have the money to pay for hospital bills before and after having their baby.

Another person, Mr. Olaoluwa Adebiyi, asked the government to make health services for poor people a priority. He said this would help lower the number of moms and babies who die.

A health expert named Mrs. Olayemi Ojo from the Ekiti State Ministry of Health said that there are free health services for pregnant women and children up to 5 years old across the sixteen Local Governments in the state.

Mrs. Ojo also asked media professionals to use their platforms to tell the public about these free services so they can help reduce mom and baby deaths.