Rotary Clubs in Port Harcourt led by Female Presidents donate delivery bags to 60 mothers to prevent Maternal and Child mortality

About 60 expectant mothers have received maternity delivery bags from some Rotary Clubs in Port Harcourt as part of efforts to encourage pregnant women access antenatal care and reduce the rate of Maternal and Child mortality.

This was at a joint project done by Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Garden City, Rotary Club of Port Harcourt South, Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Seaport, Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Esara City and Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Passport at the Model Primary Health Centre Mgbundukwu, Okija Street Mile One Diobu, Port Harcourt the Rivers State capital.

The Rotary Clubs which have female Presidents donated the Maternity delivery packs to mark Maternal and Child Health, which is an area of focus in Rotary International and the theme for the month of July in the Rotary calendar.

President Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Garden City, Rotarian Karina Igonikon said their aim is to get more indigent mothers to register for antenatal services at Healyh Centres in the State so as to get the necessary medical care to ensure the good health and safety of both the mother and the baby in her womb.

“Many pregnant women don’t register for antenatal and sometimes they are not regular. So we thought as female Presidents of our clubs, what can we do to attract them to the health center so as to access the services provided by the antenatal clinics?

We did a needs assessment and working with the health workers at the health centre came up with this idea to provide this delivery bag for the women in this densely populated area, as a way to encourage the mothers to come for antenatal.

The target is as these mothers go home with this bag, they would show and tell their neighbours and friends this is what we got at the health centre so they can encourage others who have not registered to come and do so.”

Rtn. Karina Igonikon noted that many mothers that die at childbirth often die from issues that could have been addressed had they registered early for antenatal clinic as such the need to encourage more mothers to come to health centre to access this care.

“Often times we see that many pregnant women come to the health centre to deliver, they don’t register for antenatal. Some would prefer to go to traditional birth attendants or massagers and may only come to the heath centre when there are complications and by that time it’s may be too late to save the mother or the baby and sometimes we lose both. So we are taking on this advocacy to encourage them to come and register early to save both them and their babies.”

President Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Seaport, Rtn. Victoria Ockiya-Jackson observed also that with the harsh economic realities in the country, many pregnant women may not be able to afford the list of delivery items given to them to come with to the hospital and this may make many of them not to come to the clinic, “that’s why we decided to provide this delivery pack that have all the essentials that is needed for a woman coming to deliver her baby.”

President Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Passport Rtn Bibian Uchenda Okogbule encouraged the pregnant women to maintain a health lifestyle and daily exercise so they would be healthy and have a easy delivery.

Presenting the delivery bags to the mothers, President Rotary Club of Port Harcourt South, Rtn. Nene Sokaribo Iyalla noted that a healthy mother means a healthy baby and when the mother is healthy the whole family is healthy and happy and that makes for a better society

Rtn. Stella Michael Nwaoha added that among the items in the delivery bags include delivery mats, cotton wool, cord clamps, delivery gloves, comfit pads for the new mother, baby diapers, treated mosquito nets to protect both mother and baby against malaria and an ankara wrapper for the mother.

Mrs. Rachel Nwaneri Harry one of the beneficiaries appreciated the Ritary Clubs for providing them with the delivery packs as most of them were fining it difficult to get the things on the delivery list.

“This is a big gift and a relief to us because it has not been easy with the way things are now. This bag is really a blessing and I thank the Rotary Clubs for thinking about us. May God bless them.”

Another mother who was on labour at the Health Centre also benefited from the delivery bags.

“Many women manage to get some of the things we tell them to bring for delivery so we see now that a mother has benefited from what these Rotary Clubs have given so we appreciate them. They have done well, we want more groups to think in this direction,” says Mrs. Julie Obiosa, Matron at Model Health Centre Mgbundukwu, Mile One Diobu Port Harcourt.