AGBODO Gbaseimor, paramount ruler of Ekeremor town in Bayelsa Stste, has warned women against possible abuse of the safe motherhood initiative.
He advised the women not to rush in registering for the programme only to go elsewhere to have their babies delivered after collecting the goodies that come with the programme.
Gbaseimor gave the warning when he received the Safe Motherhood Sensitisation Sub-committee in his palace in Ekeremor Town, the headquarters of Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
He also admonished the women to shun the temptation of attempting to register in more than one health facility in the hope of collecting the benefits twice.
While describing the initiative as a laudable one coming from Governor Henry Seriake Dickson who has a passion to improve the lives of the people, the monarch advised the women to adhere strickly to their scheduled appointments with the health facilities where they registered.
He assured the visiting team that the women of Ekeremor town will readily participate in the programme.
Earlier, Amieyefa Yola, team leader of the Safe Motherhood Sensitisation Sub-committee for Ekeremor, had intimated the paramount ruler on what the safe motherhood initiative was all about and what the women stood to gain if they keyed into the programme.
At Isampou, the community Development Committee Chairman, Mr Perepamone Ogori welcomed the idea of the safe motherhood programme and lauded Governor Seriake Dickson for recognising the critical role women play in building the society and consciously working to improve their well being.
After the sensitisation session at Aleibiri, Ebikeme Yerinbuloukaemi, a participant, wondered how the lofty ideals of the safe motherhood programme could be successfully midwifed by just two paid staff working in the community health centre and appealed to the government to post more health personnel to the hospital.
Responding, the team leader of the Ekeremor sensitisation sub-committee, Yola said Governor Dickson has already made available the sum of N1.2 billion to commence the building of one functional health facility in each of the 105 wards of the state and the upgrading of existing ones, stressing that as part of the package, additional health personnel would be employed.
In a brief visit to the health centre at Aleibiri, Emmanuel Nweizu, head of the hospital, said the government initiative was a good one but appealed to government to involve the State branch of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, who have the network to reach out to all doctors in the state
At Ayamasa, Selekakpo Perelade, woman leader, commended Dickson for introducing the safe motherhood initiative but charged the restoration government to fashion out health programmes that would cater for the peculiar needs of the aged mothers in the state.
Ebiere Joseph, head of the Department of Health, Ekeremor LGA, encouraged pregnant women to key into the safe motherhood programme for the overall well-being of mother and child.