Lagos appears set to keep its record as one of the populous states in Nigeria based on the number of births it is ecording.
The Amuwo Odofin Maternal and Child Centre (AOMCC), for instance, says it recorded 2,500 deliveries out of 3,040 antenatal bookings in 2021, accounting for an average of no fewer than 210 babies monthly.
According to Dr Taiwo Adeiyi, the Mefical Director of AOMCC, the statistics in terms of mortality has been encouraging as only seven deaths were recorded.
Adeiyi, who spoke at the hospital’s Fifth Annual Stakeholders’ Meeting on Wednesday in Lagos, said it was a great achievement for the hospital bearing in mind the challenges it was facing.
He said that some of the challenges they had to cope with include: population size, inadequate infrastructure and manpower.
Adeiyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the hospital’s management had been able to cope with the situation by improving the morale of the staff by giving incentives and rewards.
“The Health Service Commission (HSC) is trying to fill this void but we are losing medical personnel to brain drain,” he said.
He said that despite the achievements recorded, there were still opportunities for further growth, which he said could only be attained if upgraded to the status of a general hospital.
“If this is done, we can have medical, surgical, ophthalmology and other related departments and also incorporate our male counterparts into our services.
“Even for mother and child, those who need surgical and medical emergencies can be better accommodated within our facilities instead of referring them to other places,” he said.
He urged the state government to help provide the necessary infrastructure, saying that the hospital has a wide expanse of land, so the upgrade could be achieved as soon as possible.
Also, Dr Ademuyiwa Eniayewun, the Permanent Secretary, HSC, said that there was a blueprint where it was proposed that the centre should be upgraded to a hospital.
He added that such would also need the cooperation of the community.
Eniayewun commended the hospital for living up to and delivering its dream in the areas of service delivery; particularly in the area of emergency response, customer and staff satisfaction.
Similarly, Dr Olumuyiwa Solanke, Commissioner One at HSC, advised AOMCC’s management to seek the collaboration of the community, including politicians, philanthropists and corporate organisations in developing its infrastructure.
He urged the stakeholders to take ownership of the hospital spfor it to go higher.
The Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government (AOLG), Mr Valentine Buraimoh, commended the management and the staff of AOMCC, adding that he would continue to support the health sector.
He promised that the council under his leadership would host the next annual stakeholders’ meeting of the hospital.
