Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Ogun State Government has intensified efforts to cut maternal and newborn deaths through a large-scale capacity-building programme for doctors, nurses and midwives across public hospitals.
The training, organised by the Ogun State Hospital Management Board and held on Thursday at the NHIS Hall, State Hospital, Ijaiye, focuses on essential newborn and obstetric care.
According to the Director of Health Services, Dr Ismaila Afolabi, the initiative aims to ensure healthcare workers can effectively manage complications during and after childbirth.
“We want all our healthcare personnel—doctors, nurses and midwives—to be able to take good care of newborns during delivery and address any complications even after birth,” he said.
Beginning mid-December, the training will be conducted across the state’s five health zones. Dr Afolabi noted that the programme builds on previous efforts at primary healthcare centres and is now expanding to secondary facilities.
He added that maternal and infant mortality could be “drastically reduced, if not eradicated” with consistent emergency obstetric and neonatal care.
A consultant paediatrician from the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Dr Olabisi Dedeke, emphasised the importance of immediate post-birth care. “When a baby is not breathing, he or she should be ventilated and nursed beside the mother during the first hour of life,” she said.
Twenty-five participants drawn from secondary health facilities took part in hands-on resuscitation sessions. Participants, including Dr Emmanuel Alaba and Nurse Abosede Odewole, expressed appreciation to Governor Dapo Abiodun for investing in continuous professional training.
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