By Sola Shittu, Gombe

Experts on reproductive health on Wednesday agreed self-care guidelines will reduce the increasing rate in maternal mortality and other health challenges in the country.

A reproductive health expert, Dr Adewole Adefalu, who also doubles as the Country Director, Jo Snow Incorporated at a one day Orientation/DQA meeting with State Family Health Stakeholders on National Self-Care/Self-Injection Guidelines in Gombe, said through sensitisation a lot of women would be aware of emerging health challenges, which includes cancer and infertility issues.

“These two guidelines are essential for us as a country to continue to support women by reducing maternal mortality too many women are dying every day and until we all collectively work towards innovations that can help us to reduce this mortality we will continue to have challenges as a country.

“The government is beginning to look more inwards towards strategies we can use as a country to reduce this mortality.

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“Self-care in itself looks at the opportunity for people to take control of their health and there are basic things you can do that you will not have to get to the hospital for some of our women they can be empowered information on how to do them some of which are family planning methods, fertility control, for those who want to have kids and are having challenges. This will provide awareness about issues relating diagnosis of cervical cancer to help women provide information towards preventing cancer,” he said.

Adefalu added the coronavirus pandemic spurred the interest to increase to standardize self-care.

“All of these interventions are targeted at helping the government reduce the burden on healthcare. The Covid-19 last year taught us all how to think outside of the box because of the dwindling in healthcare.

“We are implementing the access collaborative project. It looks at introducing new products in the last 4 years we supported the rollout DMPA, a type of Sayana press, one of the family planning method that is why we are duty bound to continue to support,” Adefalu added.

Director in charge of family planning branch Federal Ministry of Health Dr. Lawrence Anyanwu, said government has realised the far reaching impact of self-care, towards improving healthcare of citizens especially women.

Anyanwu stressed stakeholders would be better equipped to sensitise residents of Gombe on the successful uptake, adding “we are here to engage with officials of state ministry of health concerning the national document that we recently developed which has added you the documents we are using to manage the promotion of health and wellbeing of Nigerians.

“This document is the national safety healthcare guideline which the federal ministry of health mobilized stakeholders from the state ministry of health and implementing partners to develop.”

Gombe Commissioner for Health Dr. Habu Dahiru assured government would support in the implementation of the guideline, adding that efforts are geared towards mobilizing towards it success.