Curbing the high rate of infant and maternal mortality in Nigeria..
Although being pregnant is not being sick it requires a great deal of medical attention and care for the health and survival of both mother and child to avert death or other serious medical emergencies. Procreation is not just a divine mandate from God but an important necessity against the extinction of the human race, ordinarily it should begin with joy and end with happiness with mother and child alive and healthy.
Unfortunately in Nigeria and most developing countries, conception and delivery of a baby comes with myriads of problems arising from poor or inadequate management of the pregnancy process due to inaccessibility and unavailability of primary health facilities.
Pregnancy and child delivery has now become one of the most uncertain periods in the life of an expectant mother. The rate of infant mortality is unimaginable. According to a Red care 2018 article referencing UNICEF, a woman’s chance of dying from pregnancy and childbirth in Nigeria is 1 in 13.see
Painfully, some expectant mothers and babies have lost their lives in the process, while others resort to anachronistic, unscientific and brazen methods used in ancient days, this, of course does not come without its consequences immediately or in the long run.
Fortunately, with citizen participation in governance, these hazards associated with pregnancy and child birth can be avoided to a great extent. Unlike the popular belief, participation in governance does not begin and end with running and holding a political position. There is a higher office greater than any political position, that office is that of “ the Citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, apart from electing leaders, citizens can effectively participate in ensuring that those entrusted with the mandate of the public live up to their expectations.
Among a plethora of ways citizens can participate in governance includes being interested in the process of budget making and implementation at various government levels, parastatals and MDA’s.
More women are required to participate in public contracting, following up on the bidding process and award of contracts and monitoring to ensure that projects in the budget are carried out according to their specification. It is sad to note that most of the health care facilities mapped out for construction and equipping after monies are disbursed for them end up not being constructed or in some cases left uncompleted by the contractor due to lack of payment.
Picture a pregnant woman in labor who has to drive very long distances on bad roads to nearby towns and city centers to access medical attention. A typical example is the case of Miss Faith who lost her baby due to inadequate facilities in a Primary health care centre.
The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) works tirelessly to empower and motivate Citizen’s participation in governance in order to curb societal issues such as this. In addition to this, PPDC takes an active part in the procurement process in Nigeria while monitoring project’s compliance and execution.
Citizens can monitor procurement information on projects around Nigeria by using data available on PPDC’s open contracting portal Budeshi. I think that we (Nigerians ) can enjoy better medical services and other benefits when we all actively get involved in governance processes, this way, we will be better equipped to hold government accountable and this will easily translate to improved health care services and reduce infant and maternal mortality to the barest minimum.
