Nigerian Actress puts the record straight on N500 gift to pregnant women who deliver at primary health care facilities in Abia state

Nigerian Actress Doris Ogala puts the record straight on N500 gift to pregnant women who deliver at primary health care facilities in Abia state.

In her message captioned “To put the records straight !”, posted on her IG she states that “At inception in 2015, the Governor set out to intervene at the 2 extremes of the healthcare loop. The aged to improve our average life expectancy statitics and child birth to reduce infant mortality. In 2016, Abia State Government introduced under the leadership of a US based geriatric expert a state wide geriatric care unit to visit the homes of the elderly to provide personalised health care services through that way, save the lives of many aged and sometimes abandoned old people in mostly rural communities.

“On the other extreme, since 2015, Abia has invested heavily to improve primary health care centres across the state with a view to providing basic health care services to citizens especially those in rural communities. One of the strategies adopted was to provide incentives that will encourage pregnant women to deliver at these improved primary health care centres and by so doing reduce patronage of traditional birth attendants, hence reduce infant mortality

“Apart from free antenatal care, the women receive a complete birth pack which averagely cost over #7,000 and additional #500 in cash for transportation after delivery. The idea is premised on the fact that these nursing mothers come from just a few poles away from these hospitals so in a situation they do not have their means of transportation, a chartered tricycle will normally charge them #500 to convey them home.

“At no time did the Governor convey the feeling that all Lactating mothers receive as support from the state government is #500. That is so far from the truth, as the total package from pre-natal, antenatal and post natal is well over #20,000 in value.

“We are not unmindful of the intentions of pundits in their deliberate efforts to put Abia in bad light. The results of our health care strategy is clearly evident and just recently, our Executive secretary of the Primary health care development agency was rewarded in a nationally competed event as the public servant of the Year based on the massive improvements in our health care system especially at the primary”

See the screen shot of the message below: