A US-based Nigerian writer, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, has lamented the current state of maternal care in Lagos, describing it as a “sham”.
She made this known in a Thursday post on her Facebook page.
According to her, a pregnant woman in her last trimester was told by health workers at the Ita Elewa maternity centre in Ikorodu to produce 34 items, many of which she would end up not needing.
The writer also decried the constant demand for cash for different shady tests from mostly poor women that visit the centre.
Ademola-Olateju, who posted a photo of the laundry list, wondered why some petty items could not be procured by the state government despite the huge Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.
She said, “Modupe (Not real name) is pregnant and in her last trimester. Since she started attending antenatal clinic at Ita Ẹlẹwa in Ikorodu months ago, she’s made to pay N200 for urine test, on every visit. That is different from other tests that are charged higher.
“Below is the laundry list of what every expectant mother is required to bring along. These are typically bought and inspected before their due date. In a state like Lagos, with its huge Internally Generated Revenue, can’t they have the bare minimum in place? Every expectant mother cannot use all these. This is nothing but the configuration and normalization of graft and fleecing the poor.
“To politicians representing Ikorodu in the House and Senate, how about using this for constituency projects and demanding accountability from the hospitals?”
See snapshot of the list:
