The Abia State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to provide free pre-natal and post-natal care for all legally married pregnant women in Abia State.
The bill, when it becomes law, would allow mother and baby throughout their pregnancy period and after childbirth at accredited healthcare facilities enjoy nutritional support, free medication and professional medical supervision.
Explaining the reason behind the bill, the sponsor of the bill Erondu Uchenna Erondu Jr. referenced a high-level UNICEF meeting held in Enugu which was attended by eight States, including Abia, during which the participants were mandated to domesticate maternal and child healthcare improvement laws in their States.
Erondu Jr. who represent represents Obingwa West constituency in the assembly observed that inadequate medical care and poor nutrition have continued to claim the lives of many pregnant women and their new born babies in the state and the country at large.
The Abia lawmaker regretted that pregnant women in Nigeria and Africa at large have been in dire situations, unlike what obtains in the developed countries where the right system was put in place to protect them.
Erondu Jr. expressed concern over the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria, stressing that poor nutrition and lack of adequate care are leading contributors.
