Maternity Health: Pate, Alausa Launch Labour Guide, Guidelines For Misoprostol, Calibrated Drape Use

• The Federal Government of Nigeria has made a fresh move to reduce the maternal mortality rate.

• The new move features the launch of a labour care guide.

• The government said it is committed to allowing all pregnant women receive maternal care during and after pregnancy.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, have launched documents on labour guide and guidelines for the community use of misoprostol and calibrated drape for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage.

The ministers launched the documents at a recent press briefing to commemorate the 2024 Safe Motherhood Day in Abuja.

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Misoprostol is used off-label for a variety of indications, including medication abortion, medical management of miscarriage, induction of labour, cervical ripening before surgical procedures, and the treatment of postpartum haemorrhage.

On the other hand, calibrated drape folds out into a large sterile surface for delivery, allowing measurement of blood loss in a calibrated pouch. The device is important in childbirth to determine when blood loss has passed 500 mL or 1000 mL and is classified as postpartum haemorrhage.

The Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, Daju Kachollom, joined the ministers in launching the guidelines on the community use of misoprostol and calibrated drape.

She identified the three worst maternal health complications which contribute to 55 per cent of cases of maternal mortality in Nigeria as postpartum haemorrhage, preeclampsia/eclampsia, and unsafe abortion.

On his part, Prof. Pate pointed out that safe motherhood can be achieved when a pregnant woman receives all pillars of care during and after pregnancy, such as antenatal care, skilled and facility-based delivery, quality services as well as postnatal care, family planning, postpartum family planning and post-abortion family planning.

“We have to ensure that all women in Nigeria have access to quality maternal care, irrespective of where you come from, whether they’re from rural areas or not, whether they’re educated or not so that we don’t leave any woman behind” he stressed.

The minister noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has consistently prioritised Nigerian citizens in his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that health is a key part of the agenda, recalling that he unveiled the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative in December with a compact between the 36 State Governors, development partners and the Federal Government to ensure improved population health outcomes in a sector-wide manner.

Prof. Pate further mentioned that the government aims to reach at least 7 million pregnant women through those services over time per year and at least 6 million newborn births on an annual basis.

“That is an aspiration, we are not there yet but it is what we should be aiming for, so that no woman is left behind when it comes to access to quality maternal care, access to skilled birth attendants, facility birth delivery and Non-communicable diseases screening, like hypertension, diabetes in pregnancy and family planning and to ensure affordability to the vulnerable group fund as the NHIA provides cover to improve access to care for women,” he said.

Dr. Alausa also backed the Federal Government’s moves, including the new guidelines for the community use of misoprostol and calibrated drape, to reduce the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria.

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Meanwhile, the health ministry’s spokesperson, in a statement on Monday, said the documents on the guidelines will be uploaded on the ministry’s website for the general public and health personnel to access.