The Bauchi State Government is considering legislation to control the increasing rate of childbirth at home, which poses danger to the health of mothers and babies.

According to data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), only three out of 10 women deliver in hospitals, representing 31 per cent. The remaining seven, which represent 69 per cent, deliver at home.

Out of 100, 57 pregnant women attend antenatal but end up delivering at home.

The trend has become worrisome to stakeholders in the health sector, prompting action. The Bauchi State Ministries of Budget, Health, Primary Health Care Development Board, the House of Assembly, chairpersons of local government areas, and civil society organisations are charting a path to reduce maternal mortality.

Speaking at a 2-Day High-Level Engagement with State and Local Government Policy Makers and Legislators to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Maternal, Newborn, Child Healthcare and Nutrition, a health specialist with UNICEF, Oluseyi Olosunde, said it is pertinent for stakeholders to find solutions to reduce maternal and child mortality in the state.

He urged the state to scale up funding for adolescent, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal and child issues. According to him, the indices call for policymakers’ urgent action.

Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board (BSPHDB), said the Board realised that many women attended antenatal care but then delivered at home, which he said could lead to complications and contribute to maternal and child mortality in the state.

“We have decided to bring everybody on board – the Speaker of the House of Assembly and his members, local government policymakers, and others – to review our budgeting and releases. Maternal and child mortality are our concern. We are also tackling gender, sexual and reproductive health rights, and nutrition.

“Over the years, our budget has been above the Abuja declaration of 15 per cent for health, but we are taking more steps ahead to ensure that it really translates to target goals.

“One of the suggestions made was that the state should have legislation that will compel women to attend antenatal and deliver in health facilities.

“If a woman fails to attend antenatal or deliver in a health facility, there should be a penalty either by monetary fines or a jail term because she is jeopardising the lives of our children and that of herself,” he said.

Also speaking, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, the Chief of the Field Office, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that if such a law were enacted, nobody could stop women from attending antenatal care or delivering in hospital.

Rafique, who expressed concern about the high level of maternal and child mortality in the state, said that with support from the Canadian Government, UNICEF is embarking on a project on the sexual and reproductive health rights of adolescent girls, focusing on empowering and educating them to become healthy mothers of the future, which would automatically reduce maternal and child mortality in the state.

She explained that UNICEF is working with health stakeholders and traditional and religious leaders to ensure that women are aware of the health services they need to access during pregnancy for safe delivery, as well as post-delivery services they need to access.

“We are starting from the root cause and working on access to health services for pregnant mothers. A pregnant mother should deliver in a safe environment with quality care, which can significantly reduce newborn and maternal mortality at the same time.

“This advocacy meeting is with all the members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, all 20 Local Government Chairmen in the state, traditional and religious leaders, and all the people working at the LGA and hospital levels,” she said.

The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, expressed discomfort with health indices, saying that data reflect the true state of affairs in the state, and vowing to strengthen the House’s legislative oversight function to ensure that the relevant ministries, departments and agencies deliver effective services to people.

“All these things are people’s rights, not even a privilege. What we are considering is to come up with a law that will force women to adhere to antenatal activities so as to reduce the maternal and child mortality we are facing in the state,” he said. (The Guardian)