Prof. Tanimola Akande, an expert in Epidemiology and Community Health, has commended the Federal Government’s Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) programme.
Akande, of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), said the initiative would save the lives of poor pregnant women and newborns across the country.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday in Ilorin, he said the Federal Government introduced the programme to tackle Nigeria’s high maternal and neonatal mortality.
According to him, the aim was to provide free, accessible and quality emergency care for vulnerable groups.
He said the government sought to remove financial barriers that prevented poor women from accessing critical care.
“The intervention is to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for indigent families and help prevent exorbitant health spending among poor households,” he said.
The expert further explained that the programme would also improve early referral and survival rates for mothers and newborns.
Akande, however, expressed concern over the low nationwide coverage of the programme, noting that many rural and hard-to-reach communities are yet to be reached.
“The programme is good and well-intentioned, but its spread is still limited,” he said.
He also expressed concern that as public awareness increases, wealthy individuals might exploit the system and corner free services meant for the poor.
He warned that such abuse could deny vulnerable women access to free care, calling for a robust identification system to ensure equity.
The public health expert urged the government to strengthen monitoring and accountability at facilities, increase funding and expand CEmONC centres.
It was reported that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) CEmONC programme provides free emergency obstetric and newborn care.
The care includes emergency C-sections, blood transfusion and management of eclampsia. It also covers free care for newborn complications such as birth asphyxia and sepsis.
