Maternal Healthcare: PHSAI Takes Action, Inducts 20 Women’s Health Champions To Close Gaps

 

Participants at the inauguration of capacity-building training and the official induction of our Women's Health Champions

To close gaps in maternal healthcare, the Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI) has inducted 20 Women’s Health Champions even as it urged the Lagos State Ministry of Health to urgently prioritise its budget allocations to meet women’s needs.

A recent in-depth research report has uncovered significant deficiencies in accessibility and funding for women's healthcare in Lagos State. In response to these findings, PHSAI in collaboration with Pathfinder International has taken proactive measures to address these gaps. Consequently, it has launched a ground-breaking initiative by inaugurating 20 Women’s Health Champions at a capacity-building workshop weekend, in Lagos. These champions are committed to improving women’s health services in Lagos State and closing the existing disparities.

Of the five percent of the total Lagos State 2024 healthcare budget put at  N114.378 billion, only N227,103,500 is allocated to family planning and reproductive health.

Barr. Ayo Adebusoye, Chairman of PHSAI, expressed concern over the urgency of the situation, citing the alarming maternal mortality rate in Nigeria, with 512 deaths for every 100,000 births. He enjoined the champions to work towards reducing maternal deaths in Lagos by 20 percent before 2030. “It’s a marathon, but every life saved is a job well done,” Adebusoye noted.

The Chairman of PHSAI said despite significant strides in addressing women's health through funding mechanisms and policies in Lagos, there exist some major women’s health problems that need urgent attention and funding. 

In his presentation, titled, “Assessment Report on Women's Health Funding in Lagos State,” the PHSAI boss lamented the obstacles to improving women’s health, “The challenges are rapid immigration, inadequate healthcare resources to cater for women’s needs and gender inequality.”

Barr. Ayo Adebusoye, Chairman of PHSAI, making his presentation titled, “Assessment Report on Women's Health Funding in Lagos State,” at the inauguration of capacity-building training and official induction of our Women's Health Champions

Adebusoye said, “Some of the key women's health issues include persistent challenges of insufficient funding, human resource constraints, cultural barriers, reproductive health, heart diseases, cancer, and mental health.”

He urged the government to swiftly intervene by implementing policies to improve women’s health on “Maternity leave, mental health, HRH task sharing, health financing, domestic and sexual violence laws.”

According to him, the government should also upgrade its “programmes on reproductive health, adolescent health, cancer control, mental health, nutrition, and violence intervention.

He said, “The way forward is by leveraging partnerships, enhancing capacity building, strengthening advocacy efforts, and implementing robust monitoring as well as evaluation frameworks.”

Abiodun Ajayi, the Executive Director of PHSAI, stressed the importance of prioritising women’s health and saving women's lives to protect future generations. He said that the ‘Women’s Health Champions,’ initiative seeks to enhance women's healthcare and secure increased funding to address existing gaps effectively.

Abiodun Ajayi, the Executive Director of PHSAI, stresses the importance of prioritising women's health

 

“Saving the lives of women is essential for safeguarding the well-being of future generations. We must amplify women’s voices and allocate sufficient funding towards projects that benefit women. This initiative aims to bring about tangible enhancements in women’s healthcare services and advocate for increased governmental support to address the identified gaps effectively,” Ajayi maintained.

Also, Dr. Funmi Ige, President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, emphasised the importance of prioritising women’s health, stating, “When you take care of a woman and a child, you have taken care of the family, and ultimately, the nation.”

L-R: Elizabeth Talatu Williams of Sustainable Impact and Development Initiative, Lagos, Nigeria; Barr. Ayo Adebusoye, Chairman of PHSAI; Dr. Funmi Ige, President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria; Ms Margaret Chichi Nkire, State Programme Coordinator of Pathfinder Lagos, and Abiodun Ajayi, the Executive Director of PHSAI at the inauguration of 20 Women’s Health Champions in Lagos, last weekend.

Earlier, in her remarks, Ms. Margaret Chichi Nkire, State Programme Coordinator of Pathfinder Lagos, said that the goal of the project under the New Venture Fund Project aims to achieve better maternal and newborn health policy and funding for the health of women in Lagos State and Kano State in Nigeria and will run from January to December 2024.

"Our mission is to strengthen multi-level partnerships for advocacy for women's health in Nigeria from January to December 2024 especially in Lagos and Kano States where PHSAI will be supporting our advocacy drive and Centre for Communication and Social Impact will be providing technical support for the project," Nkire stressed.

The Lagos State Ministry of Health has endorsed the initiative which is focused on enhancing women's health within the State.

With the inauguration of the Inclusive Women’s Health Champions, PHSAI is positioned to create a substantial positive influence on the lives of women in Lagos State. “Together, we can achieve a better and sustainable health facility that will be enviable across the federation,” Ajayi noted.