Expert Harps On Respectful Maternity Care In Nigeria

Mrs Emily Agada, a Social Health worker, based in Abuja, has advocated a respectful maternity care for Nigerian women during childbirth, stressing that it should be encompassed with basic human rights.
Agada made the advocacy in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday in Abuja.
The social worker described those basic rights as right to respect, dignity, confidentiality, the right to the highest attainable standard of health and freedom from discrimination from all form of ill-treatment.
She said that too many women remained silent about violence in childbirth because they considered it to be “normal” when they should be respected.
Agada said that the promotion of a positive childbirth experience was important for any country that wanted to improve its maternity care systems.
The expert said that the idea behind human rights in childbirth was simple.
“It is that a human giving birth has the right to make the decisions about the birth.
“It is also a reminder that a person still has all of their human rights when they are giving birth, that those rights are not lessened or suspended during childbirth.
“This includes freedom from cruel or inhuman treatment and non discrimination.
“It also means that, just like any other human, they have the right to make their own decision about who touches them and what treatment they receive,” she said.
Agada said that an excellent maternity care happened when women were empowered to make informed choices and when those choices were respected.
According to her, the need for the government to first ensure that every woman knows, from a very young age, that maternity care is a choice for everyone.
She said it was critical that everyone involved in the care of women during pregnancy and birth, worked together to ensure its success.
The expert called on Nigerian women to spread greater awareness to promote respectful maternity care for every pregnant woman.
“This is a wakeup call for us all as women and it will be a game changer for improving quality of care in labour rooms, Maternity Operation Theater and Obstetric Intensive Care Units.
“The goal of all levels of maternal care is to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, including existing disparities.
“Also by encouraging the growth and maturation of systems for the provision of risk-appropriate care specific to maternal health needs,” she explained.
Agada called on government to maintain and increase access to the Primary Healthcare Centres, (PHCs) by developing, strengthening, and better defining relationships among facilities within a community.
“This should facilitate consultation and transfer of care when appropriate so that low-to-moderate-risk women can stay in their communities while pregnant women with high-risk conditions receive care in facilities that are prepared to provide the required level of specialised care.
“The PHC should have a clear understanding of its capability to handle increasingly complex levels of maternal care and should have a well-defined threshold to transfer women to health care facilities that offer a higher level of care.
“In emergency situations, the nearest level-appropriate facility should be used if added travel to a farther level-appropriate facility increases risk.”