By Hassan Zaggi
Rotary International has formally handed over an electronic platform for maternal, perinatal and child deaths surveillance and response to the Federal Government.
The design of the electronic platform was funded by the German Government and implemented by the Rotary International.
Speaking while receiving the electronic platform in Abuja, on Tuesday, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said that the electronic platform aims to contribute to the reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity in the country.
Represented by the Head, Reproductive Health unit of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Tonuola Taylor, the Minister said: “Today is a symbolic handing over of the Maternal, Perinatal and Child Deaths Surveillance and Response (MPCDSR) platform which we used to monitor deaths from women on labour which Rotary International has supported the Federal Ministry of Health to build and running it over time.
“Having done the successful completion of the job, symbolically, hand it over to the Federal Ministry of Health to continue the management through the Galaxy backbone.
“We call it symbolic because it is not a tangible thing you could see. This means the federal ministry of health will, from today, begin to manage it.
“Having worked with Rotary International on Maternal and Child Health, over the years to implement several programmes of activities on maternal, new born health, family planning and safe motherhood, we have been able to get another chance to move to second phase which is call SCALE up and the implementation which we are here to flag up today and this is focusing on some of these states that are represented,” the Minister said.
While reiterating the integrity and ability of the electronic platform to provide accurate and reliable data, Osagie further explained that: “This is an electronic platform, it is not paper based that somebody will gather information on paper and be transmitting it.
“This is real life data, as it is occurring it is being reported. It is very reliable than what you can think and even reporting of data is getting better.”
Speaking on the commencement of the two million dollars worth initiative, christened ‘Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria’’ to be implemented by the Rotary International in order to address high maternal and infant mortality rates in the four states of Ekiti, Nasarawa, Gombe and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Health Minister noted that: “As we flag-off the new project today which aims to contribute to the reduction of maternal and new-born deaths due to pregnancy-related complications in the targeted the Federal Ministry of Health recognizes and appreciates the efforts of Rotary International and indeed all our Development and Implementing Partners in their efforts to ensure that Nigerians receive quality health care services.
“We shall continue to build on the lessons learnt in the concluded phases of the project.
“It is also worthy of note to recognised the support of Rotary International in the development of Maternal Perinatal and Child Deaths Surveillance and Response (MPCDSR) data framework by establishing MPCDSR Platform as noqanetwork.ng for collecting, collating, analysing and disseminating data.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria has successfully hosted and migrated all data from the German hub to Galaxy backbone having obtained a certificate of Job completion.
“With this completion Nigeria can track maternal, new born and child morbidity and mortality at National and sub national level.”
Responding to questions, the National Coordinator, Rotary Maternal and Child Health (RMCH) Project in Nigeria, Prof Emmanuel Lufadeju, said that the electronic platform is looking at not only maternal health, but “we are looking at the health of the family entirely and I earlier alluded to the fact that before, when a mother died due to pregnancy and child birth complications, we don’t know. It is only the immediate community, the family and the facility itself, but now Rotary has put in together with the federal ministry of health an electronic system that captures and monitors and reports maternal deaths in all our facilities in the country and we are still expanding it to include primary health care centres that are taking deliveries.
“A very robust system, it is electronic, most of the component of it is automatic, the reporting is automatic, the data collection system by record officers, health information officers at the state and then to the federal government.
“Everything is electronic, it is easy for decision and policy makers to tap on their computer and see an array of hospitals the women that have died and all the information that is necessary is on the platform.
“The good thing is that we have made maternal health in the country a notifiable condition which means it has to be notified within 24 hours and after notification, it has to be reviewed within 30 days. The cause will be identified.”
