The Bauchi State Government said it’s considering fine and sentence for pregnant women found giving birth outside hospitals in the state.
The state ranks high in matter of home birth and birthing centres which poses danger to the health of mothers and babies, according to data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF’s statistics says only three out of 10 women deliver in hospitals in Bauchi.
Representing 31 per cent, it means that 69 per cent deliver at home.
The report also has it that out of 100, 57 pregnant women attend antenatal but end up delivering at home.
Speaking at a 2-Day High-Level Engagement with State and Local Government Policy Makers and Legislators to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Maternal, Newborn, Child Healthcare and Nutrition, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board (BSPHDB), said the government was determined to arrest the situation and so, is considering sentence as one of the solutions to discourage practitioners and its enablers.
“We have decided to bring everybody on board – the Speaker of the House of Assembly and his members, local government policymakers, and others – to review our budgeting and releases. Maternal and child mortality are our concern. We are also tackling gender, sexual and reproductive health rights, and nutrition.
“Over the years, our budget has been above the Abuja declaration of 15 per cent for health, but we are taking more steps ahead to ensure that it really translates to target goals.
“One of the suggestions made was that the state should have legislation that will compel women to attend antenatal and deliver in health facilities.
“If a woman fails to attend antenatal or deliver in a health facility, there should be a penalty either by monetary fines or a jail term because she is jeopardising the lives of our children and that of herself,” Mohammed remarked.
The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, corroborated Mohammed in his own statement saying, “All these things are people’s rights, not even a privilege. What we are considering is to come up with a law that will force women to adhere to antenatal activities so as to reduce the maternal and child mortality we are facing in the state.”
