Pregnant women in Edo state have demonstrated peacefully on Wednesday over the alleged closure of the antenatal clinic.
The women, who protested to the secretariat of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of journalists, said the nurses declined to attend to them when they visited the hospital in the morning.
The spokesperson for the women, Happy Imafidon, said they were asked to come on January 11, 2021, without attending to them.
“Today, when we came for antenatal care, the nurses told us that they have closed the antenatal care in the central hospital and that we should come on January 11.
“She thereafter told us that the antenatal care has been closed by the government and that we should go and ask the governor,” she said.
Also speaking, Egharevba Enabulele, said they were not happy about the way and manner the nurses were treating them during the antenatal service.
“I was number 70 on the queue waiting to see a doctor and suddenly, they told us that the place is closed and that our husband should be coming with us to look for our files.
“So, we decided to come to NUJ to ask our governor whether we are slaves because we all voted for him and he is a father to all,” she told Daily Trust.
Responding, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Duncan Iyawe, attributed the development to lapses in communication.
“We have not closed down antenatal service, we are making a renovation.
“The nurse is supposed to examine you and give a date for you to come and when you come on your next appointment date, they will tell you the new place,” he said.
On her part, the state commissioner of health, Obehi Akoria, said the antenatal clinic of the hospital has not been shut.
“The clinic has been merged with the labour ward and work is ongoing in the new place for the clinic.
“We want the antenatal clinic and labour ward to be in the same place for pregnant women,” she said.
