Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has commenced the distribution of 1,000 pregnancy kits to expectant mothers under the state government’s Ibi Irorun Safe Delivery Initiative, aimed at promoting safer childbirth and easing the financial burden of delivery on pregnant women and their families.
The initiative launched is part of the administration’s efforts to strengthen maternal healthcare and ensure that pregnant women across the state have access to essential items and quality medical services during pregnancy and childbirth.
Speaking during the launch of the initiative at the Basic Healthcare Centre, Arakale, Akure on Tuesday, Aiyedatiwa, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Health, Simidele Odimayo, said the initiative reflected his administration’s commitment to improving the state’s healthcare system and making medical services more accessible and affordable to residents.
The governor said the provision of the pregnancy kits would complement existing free healthcare services for pregnant women, particularly by reducing the cost of essential delivery materials that families are often required to provide before childbirth.
“The Ibi Irorun initiative is an icing on the cake because the pregnancy kits would complement the state government’s existing free healthcare services for pregnant women,” he noted.
Aiyedatiwa also disclosed that the government was undertaking the revitalisation of 60 additional primary healthcare centres across the state as part of efforts to improve access to quality healthcare at the grassroots.
According to him, the administration has also continued to provide support for healthcare workers to improve their capacity and enhance service delivery across the state.
He revealed that more than 300,000 residents had been enrolled in the state health insurance scheme, while over 102 primary healthcare centres had been completed and equipped by the government.
The governor said the administration was also expanding diagnostic and specialist healthcare services at the teaching hospital level, noting that arrangements had been concluded for the provision of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, CT scan equipment, theatre suites and ophthalmic equipment.
He maintained that the investments were intended to strengthen the capacity of health facilities to provide more specialised medical services and reduce the need for residents to seek treatment outside the state.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Bosede Osamaye, said the Ibi Irorun initiative was designed to provide expectant mothers with essential materials required for a safe and comfortable delivery.
Osamaye explained that the first phase of the programme would see the distribution of 1,000 pregnancy kits, with each kit containing 13 hospital delivery items approved by the governor.
She said the intervention would provide immediate support to pregnant women while also helping to reduce the financial pressure on families preparing for childbirth.
“Today, the state has started the distribution of 1,000 pregnancy kits in the first phase, tagged ‘Ibi Irorun Safe Delivery Items’, which contained 13 hospital delivery items as approved by the governor.
“Our pregnant women are grateful because this will go a long way in removing burdens from their husbands and from them,” she said.
The commissioner also commended the governor’s wife, Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa, for her advocacy and support for initiatives aimed at improving access to free healthcare services for pregnant women across the state.
She noted that sustained interventions targeting maternal health would contribute to improving the wellbeing of women and children while supporting the state government’s broader efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery.