A United Kingdom registered international organisation, Jose
Foundation UK in collaboration with the office of the First Lady of
Kwara State has distributed about 1,600 Delivery Kits to Kwara State.
This was disclosed in a press release signed by the president, Jose
Foundation UK, Dr Martins Abhulimhen on Sunday, saying the
intervention was a strategic intervention to reduce maternal mortality
in the country.
The distribution ceremony which took place at the Government House,
Ilorin, in the Kwarra State capital was part of the partnership
between Jose Foundation UK and the First Lady of Kwara State, Prof
Olufolake Abdulrazaq.
Some of the delivery kits distributed included: Antiseptic soap,
disinfectant, plastic padded sheet, sterile cord clamp, sterile
gloves, sanitary pads, and sterile cotton wool.
Speaking at the event, president of Jose Foundation, Dr Martins
Abhulimhen, represented by Dr Eyitayo Adunmo, said the intervention
became necessary as the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria is high on
global ranking.
Abhulimhen stated that a key risk point which contributes to the
deficiencies occurs at the birth delivery phase.
“It is estimated that 70% of deliveries happen under substandard
conditions. A key challenge is the unavailability of delivery kits
deployed at the point of delivery.
“It’s critical therefore that a program that addresses this apparently
small but important link to health for women of child bearing age be
promoted and enhanced.
“Jose Foundation has developed an intervention that will promote the
widespread production and distribution of these materials in order to
mitigate the scourge,” he said.
Abhulimhen added that the Jose Foundation in over two decades have
been in the business of making people-centred borderless community
impact across the globe.
“In our quest we have reached out to hundreds of thousands,
intervening in multiple sectors and social frameworks.
“Although we may be best known for our interventions in Gender Based
Violence, we have been able to touch lives in every aspect of the
social domains.
“Recently we partnered with teams from the UAE, Italy, and three
Tertiary Hospitals in Abuja Nigeria to bring the first cutting-edge
Multicentre heart interventions to North Central Nigeria.
“The program provided life-saving open heart and highly technical
minimal invasive heart surgery to indigent patients.
“This was achieved with strategic drivers from the Office of the
former First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari,
and her Future Assured Foundations.
“Other noteworthy interventions include -Johannesburg SA, safeguarding
children in Sports programs.
“The First ‘Child Sexual Exploitation’ symposium held in Abuja -The
First ‘Gender-based violence’ symposium of its kind in the FCT.
“We have under our belts other multi-continental interventions and
have accumulated multiple awards/recognition in the course of
rendering globally acclaimed world-class community service.”
In her remarks, the First Lady of Kwara State and founder, Ajike
People Support Center, Prof Olufolake Abdulrazaq, said access to clean
and hygienic delivery materials as a fundamental right that every
expectant mother deserves/
The First Lady, represented by the State commissioner for Health, Dr
Amina Ahmed El-Imam, enumerated various impactful health
interventions through Ajike People Support Center, explaining that the
Delivery Kits would contribute positively in reducing the rate of
maternal-mortality and infants death, as well as ensuring healthy
mother and child.
Prof Abdulrazaq, who is also the chairperson of the Nigeria Governor
Spouses Forum, maintained the need to lower maternal-mortality and
infants death rates, particularly as about one in five
maternal-mortality deaths are caused by lack of proper hygiene,
enjoining the beneficiaries to utilize the items judiciously.
In her remarks, the executive secretary of the State Primary
HealthCare Development Agency, Dr Nusirat Elelu, acknowledged the
support of Jose Foundation to the state, saying that the initiative
would serve as a crucial step towards improving maternal and infant
health, especially now that delivery in public health facilities
doubled in the last four years due to improved health system.
Also speaking, the secretary to the State Government, Prof Jibril
Saba-Mamman, thanked the Foundation for partnering with the State
towards achieving sustainable healthcare delivery and called for
judicious use of the items.
In her contribution, the commissioner for Social Development, Mrs
Afolashade Opeyemi Oluwakemi, applauded the commitment of the First
Lady for supporting the state government, especially in the health
sector, calling on other Non-Governmental Organizations to emulate the gesture.
