The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly (AKHA) has called for the regulation of traditional birth attendants in the state. This followed a motion sponsored by member representing Eket State Constituency, Nsidibe Akata, last plenary.
In his motion, he decried the proliferation of traditional birth homes managed by unskilled birth attendants, noting that the situation has increased maternal and child mortality in the state.
According to Akata, UNICEF statistics have shown that ”about 262,000 babies die yearly in Nigeria during delivery, making our country the second highest national total in the world.
“A great percentage of the traditional birth houses/homes are fraught with inherent challenges and deficiencies such as inadequate prenatal and postnatal care facilities, prescriptions and administration of unverified concoctions, total absence of supervisory or regulatory oversights and the absence of emerging life-saving medical equipment,” he said.
Most maternal and child mortalities occur owing to severe complications in the hands of untrained traditional birth attendants, who only refer such difficult and life-threatening cases to hospitals when they unfortunately become too late to salvage the situations.
Akata said there was a need to integrate traditional birth attendants into a formal training programme to improve maternal health in the state.
In its resolution, the House of Assembly directed the Ministry of Health to commence registration of traditional birth attendants, with a view to regulating their practices in the state.
The House also mandated the state ministry of health to initiate and sustain the training and retraining of traditional birth attendants in the state on safer maternal health practices.
Accordingly, the Speaker, Udeme Otong, directed the House Committee on health to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and relevant MDAs on the implementation of all resolutions on the motion.
Meanwhile, a bill for a law to establish the Akwa Ibom State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission and for other matters connected thereto has scaled first reading on the floor of the House.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Eket State Constituency, Nsidibe Akata and 15 others, was read on the floor of the House by the clerk, Mrs. Nsikak -Abasi Orok, during Wednesdays plenary, as members resumed for the second legislative year after about two months recess.
Other bills were: A bill for a law to establish and regulate the Akwa Ibom state Correctional Service, to ensure human and effective management of offenders, promote reformation , rehabilitation, reintegration and public safety and to make provisions for the administration of custodial and non-custodial services in the state, and for related matters, sponsored by the member, representing Ini State constituency, Lawrence Udoide and 13 others, and a bil for a law for the establishment and composition of the Akwa Ibom state Agricultural Development Trust Find, ADETFUND, also sponsored by the member representing Eket , Nsidibe Akata, passed first reading.
The bills were equally referred to the House Committee on Business, Rules, Ethics and Privileges by the speaker for rescheduling.
