Akinleye Archie, Abuja

Recently, the Child Birth Spacing Advocacy Working Group in Niger State, warned that many women might die during child delivery as a result of the impact of during COVID-19 pandemic in the State.

As at 7th July 2020, the state has recorded 226 confirmed cases of the pandemic, with 12 deaths recorded.

In response to the fear expressed by the working group, the State Government boosted its family planning, child spacing and overall maternal health infrastructure in its primary health care centres – to provide maternal health services free of charge across the State.

Speaking during a webinar organised by drpc PACFAH@Scale, with theme: funding child spacing and maternal health in the context of covid-19: the experience of Niger State so far, the Director of Community Health, Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Hawa Kolo, said, “A lot has been put in place by the state to curb mortality and morbidity during COVID-19 pandemic. We have the public health emergency operation room working day and night to make sure that there is early diagnosis and there is treatment of all the patients that coming in contact with the illness.

“The disease surveillance notification officers out there in the local government are working day and night to pick up early signs of Covid-19 disease and making sure they are tested and treated.

“All primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities are open and functional, so that there shall be no woman dying of pregnancy related illness or the COVID-19 disease.

“We also have community health influencers promoter service agents who go from house to house preaching the message of the use of health facilities and how it is important that the pregnant woman uses the health facility, goes for early antenatal care, and makes sure that she takes her medications during pregnancy. And once she is in labour, she goes into the health facility and she delivers safely.

“We also work closely with the community leaders – religious and traditional leaders.”

Kolo added, “Health is a priority for us in Niger state. It is the vision of the Governor of Niger State to see that every person in Niger state benefits from the basic health care package that is available to them.

“Each year, it is in the budget that there will be funding for the family planning commodities and that every person that deserve it – women of child bearing age, 15-49, will benefit commodities available in our health care facilities.

“We get funding from the Niger State Ministry of Health. We have funding from the Niger state primary health care development agency. We also have funding from the saving one million lives projects and from partners also. Partnership for advocacy for child and family health, the challenge initiative, Pathfinder, association for reproductive and family health etc.

“All the services are available in all our health facilities. We have over 1,300 primary health care facilities and over 26 secondary health facilities and a specialist hospital as well. So we have family planning units in all our facilities, where you can access family planning needs that the women of child bearing age need.

“We also partner with private health institutions as well. For government, it is free, but for private health facilities, it is for a fee. We encourage the women to access care from the government. We have trained personnel across all the health facilities.”

Mrs. Dorcas Abu, Family Planning Coordinator and a member of the Niger State Family Planning Technical Working Group, added, “To be frank with you, when we first heard of COVID-19 in the state, it wasn’t a palatable news to us as individuals, especially in the primary health services, which family planning is one of it in the state.

“Thank God that things were put in place to make sure that Primary Health Care (PHC) services are available. During the period of the lock down, PHC services were open so that people would be able to have access to services, especially family planning.

“During the Lockdown period, a lot of people were affected, especially in getting access. Even with the fact that the facilities were opened, getting access was difficult especially in getting transportation to these facilities. Also, people faced embarrassment from the security agencies in the state.

“The other challenge was stock out of commodities during that period. However, when we noticed this, we reached out to our partners and got commodities, which were distributed to the last health facility in the state.”