The Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre ( FMC) Keffi, Dr Yahaya Adamu has announced the commencement of the Federal Government’s free cesarean sections for poor and vulnerable women across the country at the centre.
Adamu confirmed this development in an interview with newsmen in the Keffi Local Government Area ( LGA) of the state on Thursday.
The Federal Ministry of Health had launched the initiative, tagged “Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative” (MAMII), during the Joint Annual Health Review (JAR) organised by the ministry in 2024.
According to Adamu, the initiative aims to ensure that poor and vulnerable women in the country do not die in labor due to a lack of financial capacity to pay for health services.
“Neither will the newborns be allowed to die because their parents lack money. This is why the federal government initiated this programme,” he explained.
Adamu confirmed that the initiative has already commenced at the medical centre, with some pregnant women benefiting from the federal government’s gesture.
“In fact, as of last week, at least twelve women benefited from it here. We think this number is relatively small, considering the many more people who need this service,” he added.
He further revealed that the Public Relations Unit of the hospital has launched a public campaign in communities around Keffi to raise awareness about the initiative.
According to him, each federal hospital is expected to participate in the initiative by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
Adamu noted that some state governments have also signed the MoU, indicating their intention to participate, saying that currently, only the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, and the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, are participating in Nasarawa state.
The CMD expressed hope that the Nasarawa State Health Management Board would soon approach the federal government to seek inclusion in the initiative, enabling more medical centers in the state to participate and capture more vulnerable women who desperately need the service.
He , therefore appealed to the media to support the medical center and the federal government in amplifying the initiative, ensuring that more vulnerable women are aware of and benefit from the programme.
