Jumoke Olasunkanmi
Ogun State Government has announced the launch of a free delivery programme tagged ‘Ibidero’, with a target to benefit at least 15,000 pregnant women.
According to the State’s Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, who made the announcement on Friday, the primary objective of the Ibidero programme is to address and improve the State’s maternal mortality index.
She emphasised that the initiative falls under the state’s health insurance scheme and is specifically tailored to support vulnerable and indigent pregnant women across the 20 local government areas.
Enrollees in the pprogramme will gain access to free maternal health services at designated health ccentres, she said, a crucial step in minimising the risk of complications during and after pregnancy.
Coker highlighted that the programme includes a conditional cash transfer component, ensuring that participating pregnant women receive a stipend following the successful delivery at their assigned health facilities.
Detailing the logistics, she explained that each beneficiary would be registered in hospitals conveniently located within walking distance of their homes, adding that 3,000 women benefitted from the first phase of the pprogramme in 2022.
“Last year, 3,000 pregnant women benefitted from the pilot phase of the programme. As a consequence, Governor Dapo Abiodun has graciously approved scaling up the programme to 15,000 beneficiaries,” she said.
She also noted that the state government is collaborating with 300 public and private health facilities at the primary and secondary level to ensure a smooth delivery, while expressing optimism that it will significantly reduce maternal mortality, as well as provide economic relief in Ogun State.
