For her advocacy role in improving the lot of nurses, midwives and promoting maternal and child health, Mrs Toyin Saraki has been awarded a fellow of West African College of Nursing.
The West African College of Nursing awarded Mrs Saraki the honorary fellowship in recognition of her giant strides in the area of advocacy for nurses and midwives in, Nigeria, Africa and around the World.
Mrs. Saraki, Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa and the Wife of the President of the Senate was conferred with the honour at the 14th Biennial General Meeting of the college held in Abuja.
Mrs. Saraki was represented by Mrs. Hauwa Philip Aduda the wife of Senator Philip Aduda, who received the award on behalf of Mrs. Saraki, earlier today in Abuja.
The Wellbeing Foundation President in her advocacy to the Federal Government had always maintained that Nigeria must not rest until health care was available to all.
She said that her emphasis on maternal and child health was borne out of the fact that she only survived childbirth because of the services of midwives.
Speaking at a weeklong event by the foundation to mark the International Day of the Midwives, She said that nurses and midwives played very important roles in healthcare and should be accorded the required recognition.
“In a recent report by the World Health Organisation titled: Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Realities, 2750 midwives stated how they did not feel respected and empowered.
“It is our responsibility to empower and protect our midwives. Midwives should not be left without a salary, they should not have to face abuse at work or disrespect from their peers or patients.
“We must work to improving the treatment of midwives, because they are essential to the health of the nation.
”Without a midwife or a birth attendant chances of death during pregnancy and labour immediately increase by a high margin.
“If we are to improve maternal, newborn, women’s and the family’s health we must ensure midwives are well-respected and well regarded in our communities,” she said. (NAN)