The Ogun State Government has identified Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) as an integral part of its vision of bringing about a sustained reduction of the burden of maternal and perinatal deaths in the State.

          Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, made the disclosure during a meeting with TBAs, community and religious leaders, as well as other relevant stakeholders in Ikenne Local Government, where the State will launch its Hub and Spoke pilot project.

          Coker described the Ogun Hub and Spoke Project as a strategic referral pathway that integrates TBAs, Primary Health Centers (PHCs), secondary health facilities, and the teaching hospital, to fast track a drastic reduction of perinatal deaths in the State, which is mostly caused by lack of a formidable referral system.

          She disclosed that TBAs take delivery of 60 percent of pregnancies in the State, limiting the availability of data on maternal and perinatal deaths, among pregnant women who patronise the local maternity attendants.

          "What this project has so far afforded us is that we have been able to come to terms with the fact that many of our people are comfortable with the TBAs. So, we have decided to bring these traditional maternity practitioners to the table, understand their challenges, train them on danger, signs of safe motherhood and neonatal care.

          "By collaborating with our TBAs, we also have the massive opportunity to provide supportive supervision of their activities. This will go a long way to positively impact the maternal and perinatal burden in the State", she said.

          The Commissioner called on all relevant stakeholders in Ikenne Local Government (LGA), to support the pilot phase of the project which would be launched officially very soon, adding that it would be replicated across the other LGAs in the coming months.

          Reacting, the State Chairman, TBAs, Mr. Oladehinde Shoremekun, disclosed that the relationship that the present administration has established with TBAs through the Ogun State Alternate Medicine Board has been yielding good outcomes, saying the Hub and Spoke project would reduce maternal and perinatal deaths in the State.