OGUN TRAINS BIRTH ATTENDANTS ON STANDARD PRACTICE

ABEOKUTA – Towards ensuring standard practice among Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), the Ogun State Government has organised a day training programme to build their capacity on professional ways of handling birth deliveries and other activities.

According to a release e-signed and made available to StarTrend Int’l & online – www.startrendinternational.com by Dolapo Jinad, Press Officer, Ogun State Alternate Medicine Board, while declaring the training programme held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta opened, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker declared that the training was another demonstration of government’s believe that activities of the TBAs were crucial to the development of the health sector, adding that such training would be organised frequently to widen horizon of practitioners.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Ekundayo Ayinde, the Commissioner for Health noted that effective engagement of TBAs in relevant training would further reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity rates drastically, for the State to record better health indices.

She stated that the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration was determined to provide necessary logistics and guidelines at standardising the practice of Alternate Medicine practitioners in the State, to enable them compete favourably with their counterparts across the world.

“Gone are the days when people do not want to associate with people practicing Alternate Medicine, but it has now become another means of providing healthcare for the people across the globe. As a matter of fact, some advanced countries have gone beyond giving treatment alone, but as means of generating revenue for the government”, Coker affirmed.

On his part, Chairman of the State Alternate Medicine Board, Balogun Nurudeen Olaleye said it is expedient for the Board to equip practitioners in the sub-sector with updated skills to meet up with the best global practices, stressing that arrangement was in top gear to provide modern technology and other logistics that would advance their operations.

Olaleye appreciated the support of Dr. Coker, stakeholders and staff of the Board for their commitment, admonishing the participants to always abide by guidelines of the profession.

Speaking, one of the participants, who is also the National President, Mission Birth Attendants, Mrs. Elizabeth Quadri commended the effort of the State government for transforming alternate medicine practice, assured that members would continue to uphold the ethics of the profession.

Topics of paper presented at the training include, Red flags Symptoms in Pregnancy’ and Data Management in Natural Medicine.