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Former Minister of Defense, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (Rtd) has said the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria was the reason why his foundation, TY Danjuma Foundation decided to build a world-class maternal hospital in Takum, Taraba State.
Danjuma disclosed this on Monday in his hometown Takum, during the official commissioning of the hospital named after his late mother Mama Rufkatu Danjuma.
According to him, approximately 800 women die daily worldwide due to complications arising from childbirth and majority of the population is in developing countries hence his intervention to help reduce the rate.
“Between 1990 and 2015 maternal mortality rate in the world dropped by 45 percent, but Nigeria percentage of maternal mortality rate was on the rise.
“This is why I have decided to assist to reduce the rate by donating this world-class hospital in collaboration with Development Africa, Taraba government, and other international charity organizations.
“I hope that this hospital will set a standard for the provision of health care delivery services in the country,” he said.
Minister of State for Health, Prof. Osagie Ehaniro in a remark said 576 out 100,000 children die during birth in Nigeria due to poor maternity care which he said is the worst in the world and commended TY Danjuma for the intervention to reduce the figure in Takum and its environs.
Ehaniro said the hospital was the first of its kind providing such specialized services in the country, even as he said the hospital will also serve the Primary Health Care need of the people of Taraba.
“The government of President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to provide Primary Health Care in each ward in the country with the collaboration of the private sector and this is a right move by Gen. TY Danjuma,” he said.
In his remarks, Governor Darius Ishaku commended the generosity of Gen. TY Danjuma in changing the lives of the people across the country.
Ishaku said the state government would provide the hospital with ambulances, residential quarters for doctors to enable them to provide 24-hour services to the people.
Earlier, Mr. Joshua Kempeneer, Country Director of Development Africa, the organization that handles the construction of the hospital expressed worry over the high maternal mortality rate in Nigeria and commended TY Danjuma for his intervention in reducing the rate.
Kempeneer who said his organization had the mandate of TY Danjuma to manage the hospital for 5 years said the hospital will be highly subsidized so that poor families can also access the services in the hospital.
“The hospital will charge less compared to what is obtainable in other hospitals, but would attend strictly to women and children under the age of 8,” he said.
