Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, on Friday, projected that about 30, 000 babies would be delivered yearly in the state from 2015 as a result of his administration’s safe motherhood programme.
Mimiko, who stated this at the inauguration of the second Mother and Child Hospital in Ondo town, also assured that similar facility would be built in Ikare-Akoko and Okitipupa before 2015.
He said 20,000 of the deliveries would be achieved in the four mother and child hospitals that would have been completed in the state by 2015.
The remaining 10,000 deliveries would be achieved in the peripheral Abiye centres and the private sector.
He noted that the pioneer Mother and Child Hospital Akure, remained the only tertiary health facility in Nigeria that offered free healthcare including blood transfusion and caesarean section.
He said the centre had treated over 60,000 patients comprising 32,000 children and 28,000 pregnant women.
He added that 15,000 safe deliveries including 2,300 caesarean sessions had been carried out at the centre.
Mimiko also explained that the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Death, which was signed into law was strategically designed to track all pregnancies.
He said, “Our statistics show that between 2010 and 2012, despite having an increase in work load of more than 60 per cent, the Mother and Child Hospital, Akure, reduced its maternal mortality ratio simultaneously by 40 per cent.
“What is perhaps most impressive is that contrary to what is generally believed, the average cost of care per patient reduced by almost 50 per cent during the same period.”
Meanwhile, Mimiko and the Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom, Oba Victor Kiladejo, on Saturday urged indigenes of the town, to compliment government’s efforts at transforming it.
They made the call during the silver Jubilee celebration of the Ekimogun Day held at the Oba Adesanoye Civic Centre, Ondo.
Mimiko noted that his kinsmen had shown their love for him through their votes in the October 20 governorship election that returned him to office.
He promised that his leadership would open more windows of opportunities for Ondo indigenes in terms of physical development of the town.
Oba Kiladejo said the Ekimogun Day was designed to mobilise the people for the development of the community to make it an enviable city.
The monarch added that the aim of the Day was to mobilise resources required for self-help through the supports of trade groups, commercial associations, social clubs and prominent sons and daughters of the community.