Pregnant women have expressed their concern over the skyrocketing prices of antenatal and other baby accessories arising from the economic downturn.
Over 400 pregnant women who gathered in Ibadan on Wednesday in commemoration of the 26th anniversary of an Ibadan-based hospital, Ibadan Central Hospital expressed concern over the rising cost of antenatal drugs and other related materials.
They, therefore, called on the government to step in by arresting the economic situation.
One of the concerned pregnant women who identifies herself as Mrs. Adeloye Titilayo appealed to the government to help the masses as the economic situation affects prices of food, medication, and baby items, which she described as essential to every pregnant mother.
“The government should provide facilities in government and private hospitals. Transportation is very expensive.
“The transportation cost from my place to this place used to be less than N1000, now it is between N3000-N3,500. In this situation, one may be tempted to skip appointments. We urge the government to do something in this regard for the sake of pregnant women. Drugs, foods, and baby items are so expensive.
“I was here last year and I went home with a gift; baby bathtub. I hope to take home one of the gifts today too. Things are quite expensive,” she said.
Speaking in the same vein, Mrs. Ibironke Omotade noted that the general difficulty faced by Nigerians affects pregnant women too.
She, therefore, implored the government to continue to support the citizenry with poverty alleviation strategies and a good healthcare system.
The General Manager of the hospital, Dr. Olajumoke Caxton-Martins reechoed the views of the pregnant women. According to her, the government needs to do more just as private bodies have roles too.
She said, “Pregnant women need to feed well to be able to nurture the lives they are carrying. When the cost of living continues to increase, it creates an immediate problem for those who do not even earn enough to be able to provide for themselves. It is a general problem and it is felt more by these people. They need the nutrition to sustain life. We hope that government policies ease these pains soon. Things are getting astronomically expensive and it is directly impacting the ability of people to procure drugs. However, we call on private individuals who can step in and help out, just as we do here, we give drugs, we run basic tests free of charge and we organise health gatherings twice every year.”
She also implored the government to do more in terms of infrastructural development and access to basic healthcare.
“This is a call to the government to increase the level of funding which goes into building basic healthcare facilities and putting policies in place to discourage brain drain. Doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals still seek greener pastures abroad.
It is a struggle to get perfectly qualified people to attend to our women and children. Naturally, this affects infant and maternal mortality.” She said.
Dr Kareem Adeseye, ICH’s Medical Director identified challenges such as the dearth of power supply, poor infrastructures, transportation issues, and the incapability of the people to afford basic healthcare amongst others. He appealed to the government to partner with private bodies to ensure that the problems are surmounted.
He said, “We appeal to the government to partner with us in terms of ensuring stable and steady electricity, to reduce the running costs of the hospitals. Also, motorable roads are required to ensure effective conveyance, especially during emergencies.”
