By Henry Uche

Rotary International in Nigeria has trained health personnel across board, in a bid to improve the Nigerian health system with Obstetric Quality Assurance (OQA).
In a statement delivered by Professor Emmanuel Adedolapo Lufadeju, national coordinator, the Rotarian Action Group for Reproductive Maternal and Child Health (RMCH-Nigeria), the group stated that, having been mandated by the Nigerian minister of health to focus on “Maternal and Child Health” (MCH) for over 25 years, it would continue to work to improve the Nigerian health system.
Highlighting the impact of RMCH on strengthening Nigerian health system, the professor stressed that the objective was to support and accelerate the implementation of the Nigerian MPDSR (Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response) guidelines with OQA. According to the statement, RMCH promoted and supported the use and implementation of MPDSR/OQA but particularly provided support for family planning nationwide.
   “All the medical record officers in all secondary and tertiary facilities have been trained to transmit data electronically to the state HMIS officers, who also have been trained to transmit all collated maternal statistics from the state to the national statistician.
   “By this process maternal deaths in all facilities in Nigeria have become a notifiable event, which must be reviewed, with response to prevent future occurrence instituted nationwide.”

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It added that all the 774 LGA monitoring and evaluation offices have been trained to transmit community maternal and perinatal data to their respective state HMIS officers, saying that Rotary RMCH works to support the FMOH MPDSR, and quality assurance in obstetrics in order to advance quality of care through the electronic data management system that has been adopted nationwide.
  “RMCH has initiated the conversion from manual to digital data collection (MPDSR/OQA), using the national guidelines since November 2016. We have also implemented and introduced an innovative Web-based e-platform or reliable data collection and analysis since February 2017,” the team said.
    It added that it has been systematically analysing digital data on three levels (national, state, hospital) and recommendations for action based therefrom can be analysed; training doctors and midwives in management and analysis of digital data; training hospitals and their staff to introduce quality assurance in obstetrics (structure, process and outcome) as well as improving access to family planning services and modern contraceptives.
The group has been providing birth kits, modern contraceptives and mosquito nets since starting the project, where more than 17,000 birth kits have been distributed nationwide.
    Also 1,500 doctors and nurses/midwives have been trained as family planning providers for long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) and about 450 community dialogues have been conducted nationwide to bring together women, men, heads of households, community leaders, state LGA and ward health personnel for awareness creation on hygiene, nutrition, family planning, skilled support for child birth, promotion of antenatal attendance and facility deliveries.