Maternal Mortality: Experts Warn Ogun Residents Against Patronising Quacks

In a bid to reduce maternal deaths caused by unsafe abortions, experts and stakeholders in Ogun State have warned residents to seek medical care from qualified and well-trained doctors rather than quacks.

The warning was given at a one-day training for civil society organisations on basic reproductive health issues and the reduction of unsafe abortions, held on Friday in Abeokuta.

The President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Ogun State branch, Dr Deborah Osisanwo, explained that every life is important, especially that of mothers, and urged quacks to desist from terminating pregnancies but instead refer such cases to professional health practitioners.

“Please, if you don’t know how to do it, if you are a quack, once you see a case of abortion, kindly refer them to secondary facilities. We will be happy if you do that, and we are going to save the life of that mother,” she said.

Osisanwo disclosed that the state government had launched an abridged, pocket-sized version of the STOP guidelines to protect doctors in the state, adding that people in the community should not be afraid to seek help from trained health practitioners.

She said, “A lot of people hide under quacks to terminate pregnancies, but with this training today, the CSOs and community leaders will go back to their communities to educate the people that they should always go to doctors and not quacks. We now have a guideline which was launched yesterday, so the community should not be afraid to see our trained health practitioners.”

Speaking earlier, the Executive Director of the Trust and Support Foundation, Victoria Madukwe, revealed that unsafe abortions are prevalent in many communities, stressing that while some lose their lives as a result, others commit suicide to avoid stigmatisation.

She noted that the aim of the training was to alert members of the public and urge them to visit health facilities whenever they have concerns about their health, family planning, and related issues, rather than patronising quacks.

“The essence of the training is to let CSOs understand that there is a high level of unsafe abortion going on in the communities and within their environments, and to teach them what they can do to help reduce this practice,” she said.

Madukwe pointed out that to prevent doctors and patients from being harassed, security agencies must also be informed about the STOP guidelines, arguing that doctors are presently on the right side of the law.

She expressed confidence that with the abridged STOP guidelines recently launched in the state, there would be a reduction in the rate of unsafe terminations and maternal deaths.

Contributing, the State Chairman of the Ward Development Committee (WDC), Ogun State Council, Dapo Wahaab, assured that the message would be taken to all 236 wards across the 20 local government areas of the state.

Wahaab said, “We are taking this message to 236 wards across the 20 local governments in the state. This is an eye-opener to what we have known before.

“We have women champions in our wards, so when we go back home, we will sensitise them about what we have learnt. As mobilisers, they will also go to CDAs, CDCs, and others to pass the message to our people.”