WORLD BANK LAUDS ONDO GOVERNOR OVER SAFE MOTHERHOOD PROJECT

The World Bank yesterday examined the founding and operation of the one year old Safe Motherhood Project tagged
“ABIYE” initiated by the Olusegun Mimiko administration in Ondo State and gave the State government a pat on the
back for using the project to reduce maternal and child deaths in the State.
The World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, Mr Onno Rhul gave the commendation while speaking at the
commissioning of the project’s four health facilities in Ifedore Local Government area by the State Governor, Dr
Olusegun Mimiko saying the project was worthy of emulation not only by other State Governments in the nation but
in Africa as a whole.
“It is a great pleasure to see the various programmes of the State government which we believe would have equally
great impact on the lives of the people. The main reason for coming here today was not only to say well done, though
you have performed well, but to encourage you to improve on the achievements already recorded.
“I also want to commend the efforts of the government aimed at ensuring that the lives of both mother and child
survive in Ondo State which is the target of the World Bank. We feel that other States should emulate this project,”
Rhul said.
In his address at the occasion, Dr Mimiko who reeled out statistical data showing the successful implementation of the
project so far, enthused that the several months of toiling to put the project on sound footing had resulted in the
delivery of accessible and quality health care services to the citizenry.
“The Baseline Survey carried out revealed that out of 2,989 that registered for ante-natal care, only 432 actually
delivered at the clinics. This represents about 16 per cent of registered patients. However, since the inception of the
programme about a year ago, 1,031 deliveries have been recorded out of about 3,000 that registered representing
about 35 per cent or double the baseline percentage.
“The Mother and Child Hospital in Akure, a 100-bed facility, in less than 12 months of operation has registered and
treated 8,061 pregnant women and 11,737 children with at least 20% being non-residents. In addition, 3,389 safe
deliveries including 628 surgeries have been conducted as the hospital now records an average of twenty deliveries
daily.
Mimiko announced that construction is on-going at Laje in Ondo West Local Government area of a similar referral
centre which is to serve as Mother and Child Hospital.
According to the governor, “The poor health indices of the states in the South West as attested to by the World Bank
2008 Report was a wake-up call for the administration to undertake, as a matter of urgency, the total reform of a
dysfunctional health system.
“Our goal was to revitalize integrated service delivery towards a quality, equitable and sustainable health care as
encapsulated in the state’s Strategic Health Development Plan and the Caring Heart programme of the state
government in order to address the situation” the governor asserted.”
For the people of Igbara Oke and Owena, it was commendation galore for the State government as community
leaders, beneficiaries of the ABIYE Project in the last one year lauded the Mimiko led Administration saying that their
lives have been greatly improved by the project.