Gynaecologists from the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, have expressed dismay over the increasing numbers of pregnant women in the country who prefer the services of untrained midwives during childbirth.
The Gynaecologists expressed worry that this preference has exposed many women to lifelong risks and should be discouraged.
The Specialists, Dr Jonah Egbe of the Gynaecology Department of UCTH and Dr Ofem Ofem raised the concerns on a Saturday morning health programme, Hello Doctor, produced by Residents Doctors, on a Calabar-based radio station.
Dr Egbe said statistics have shown that if 50 pregnant women register at either a primary healthcare centre, the General or Teaching Hospital for antenatal, fewer than ten of them would actually deliver at such health centres.
“Most of the pregnant women would prefer to go to maternity arms of churches or Traditional Birth Attendants, TBA, who are not trained to handle such tasks, to give birth.
“It cannot be because of costs of medical services in hospitals that have scared these pregnant women away from hospitals to TBAs. Perhaps because of misconceptions and beliefs about services at TBAs handed down by elderly women. Yet these untrained midwives in those unrecognised places will prescribe inappropriate mixtures and remedies that will end up in serious complications.”
Dr Egbe stated that due to the depletion of trained medical manpower in many hospitals, the few remaining are working with some of the TBAs and are exposing them to some training.
“But we seriously encourage pregnant women to patronize services of trained public health specialists.
“They should present themselves early enough to doctors for recognition and not wait until it becomes too late and dangerous.”
He also advised that families should always prepare ahead of time for deliveries.
He warned that there are now innumerable quack doctors running unregistered and fake facilities and people should be wary of their services.
Many pregnant women prefer TBAs and churches for delivery – Gynaecologists
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