Charles Ekanem|26 May 2016|6:12am
A Traditional Birth Attendants is defined as a person who assists a mother during childbirth and has acquired her skills by delivering babies herself or through apprenticeship to other TBAs. She provides care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period; In most cases they are well established, living in close proximity to the women who require maternity care in the community. They have detailed knowledge of community norms and are paid “in kind.” These characteristics are increasingly considered as strengths that the formal health sector has sought to leverage.
It is widely noticed that unskilled birth attendants have over the years diverted patient traffic from health facilities due to several barriers such as cost, distance of health facilities, religious influnces poor attitude of health workers among others. With the increase of unskilled birth attendants, death toll of pregnant women has increased. It is for these reasons the Director General of Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA) Dr. Betta Edu in collaboration with Aggiewinsor Foundation is engaging TBAs in southern senatorial district of CRS to train, re-orient and educate them on the referal roles traditional birth attendants are to play in CRS.
The trainer hinted that traditional birth attendants were trained to change the focus of their role from providing primary maternity care to becoming supporters and promoters of skilled birth attendance and to help women avoid home births, keying into referral process.
Earlier speaking, the Director General of Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Betta Edu noted that in the fight against maternal mortality, TBAs need to be trained and the reoriented on their new referal roles in the communities. She equally stressed that the health system must also be strengthened to recieve the expected traffic of patients from the TBAs. She said an enabling environment with additional support in terms of referal of pregnant women from communities provided to health facilities by TBAs will strengthen referral system and will contribute to the success of the fight against maternal mortality in the state.
The DG who spoke mostly in pidgin for their clear understanding, said "I beg you all in the name of God to save mothers life in CRS by referring first time pregnancy, difficult and unclear cases of delivery to any nearby health center or hospital quick quick. I advise you to always have a stand by taxi driver in case of emergency to rush the patient to nearby health facility". She pleaded with them to key into the WHO standard of referral system which she stressed will save lifes of mothers and babies in the state.
Finally the DG thanked the organization for their unequitable effort in providing free medical outreach for the people and training of traditional birth attendants in Calabar metropolis. She said the state Governor, Senator (Prof) Ben Ayade is fully aware of their effort and has directed her to support the outreach with some commodities, while sending encomiums to all parties involved in the program.
She said the agency is partnering with the Wife of the Governor, Her Excellency Dr Linda Ayade to reduce maternal mortality in the state through her foundation, MDF.
The Agency supported the outreach with Malaria commodities like Long Lasting Treated Insecticide Nets, RDT, drugs and human resource to ensure seamless success of the program.
Charles Ekanem
Is the media aide to the DG, CRSPHCDA
