A Tribute to Mother & Child Hospital Akure at 10

Dr Lawal Oyeneyin

Thursday, 27th Feb. 2020, marks the 10th anniversary of the Mother and Child Hospital Akure (MCHA). For those who may wonder what the significance is, please note that the facility can be considered the “progenitor” of the revolution in the Ondo State health sector culminating in the establishment of a University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital. At the inception of the Dr Olusegun Mimiko administration in Feb. 2009, the status of the Ondo State health sector was so rudimentary that she couldn’t boast of a teaching hospital nor was there but a handful of medical consultants in full time employment. The situation was so dire that Ondo State was identified by the 2008 National Demographic Health Survey as having the worst maternal and child health indices in the whole of the south western region of the country!

The idea of the MCHA was conceived by Dr Mimiko as an offshoot of the Abiye (safe motherhood) programme in his quest to reverse an unwholesome trend. The MCHA was a purpose built 100-bed tertiary care facility offering free services (ie free consultations, admissions, drugs, lab tests, surgeries and blood transfusions) to pregnant women and children less than 5 years of age, irrespective of social status, ethnicity or place of residence. The mission statement at inception was to run an integrated maternal and child care facility fully poised to offer qualitative and critical interventions when required, towards eradicating maternal and child mortalites in the State.

The MCHA was indeed an “experiment” that exceeded initial expectations becoming one of the most popular legacy projects of the Mimiko administration. In the first five years of operations, antenatal registrations were almost 50,000 while safe deliveries surpassed 30,000! More importantly, rates of maternal deaths reduced by over 70% during the same period. These statistics made the hospital not only one of the busiest maternity centers in Nigeria, but the one with the lowest facility-based maternal mortality ratio.

Indeed, bolstered by the success of the activities of MCHA, there was a need to widen access to quality maternity care in other regions of the State as well as expand on the availability of more specialized forms of health care. Subsequently in April 2010, a vast spread of virgin land was identified along Laje road in Ondo City and christened the “Medical village”. This was followed in rapid succession by the establishment of the Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre (Sep. 2010), a second Mother and Child Hospital (Nov. 2012), Trauma and Surgical Centre (Nov. 2013) as well as a Kidney Care Centre (Feb. 2014). In addition, the affiliate premier University of Medical Sciences was established in Mar. 2015. In the spirit of continuity of governance, the present Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN administration, in 2018, merged those initially semi-autonomous health facilities (along with the former State Specialist Hospitals in Ondo and Akure) to become the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital. It is doubtful the Mimiko administration would have been as emboldened to develop the Medical village infrastructure had the MCHA not been so impactful ab initio.

It will be impossible to acknowledge by name all those who contributed in one way or another to the successful “midwifing” of the MCHA project. Nevertheless, permit me to single out a few beginning with our former First Lady, Mrs Kemi Mimiko, who devoted time and resources through her NGO, Maternal Pulse; Dr Abbas Mimiko who convinced me, after initial overtures from his older brother, to take the leap of faith and join the Ondo State civil service; Dr Kola Ademujimi (Chief of Staff to Governor Mimiko) who assisted in the original design of the edifice; the successive State Commissioners for Health namely, Drs Adegbenro, Omoniyi and Adeyanju who were potent political facilitators at critical moments of the project; senior staff of the ministry of health and hospitals management board led by the then permanent secretaries Drs Bade Omoloja and Michael Ojo mni, respectively; the Fagboyegun family business that invested so much in a hitherto untested project and; Mr Richard Ugboye, perioperative nurse turned businessman, who availed the fledgling facility his vast experience and knowledge in medical equipment installation and maintenance.

As for the pioneer management staff of the MCHA, I would like to acknowledge the prominent role played by Dr Daphne D’Souza (pioneer deputy chief medical director) in successfully navigating the institution through the clinical operations from inception. Mention must be made of Dr Dolani Gbelela (former Ondo State NMA Chairman) as a point of contact for the pioneer crop of very hardworking medical officers of obstetrics unit. In a similar vein, I acknowledge Dr Abiodun Ajayi, the pioneer acting head of paediatrics as wel as Dr Olumide Agbede of the anaesthesia unit. I could not have wished for a more dedicated team of medical doctors to work with and I owe them a lot of gratitude. I must also mention our pioneer heads of nursing as well as theatre units in persons of Princess Adumashi and Mrs Oguntimehin, respectively. Both dutiful matrons wholeheartedly implemented the positive changes (particularly in task shifting and sharing) required to enable MCHA nurses stand out in provision of quality of care in the State and beyond.

It was Pharm Omosa (then director, pharmaceutical services of the ministry of health) and Pharm (Mrs) Akande (pioneer head of pharmacy) who collaborated to develop a drug procurement system that practically eradicated out of stock syndrome at the MCHA. I will forever be grateful to Ms Christianah Awe (pioneer head of medical laboratory services) who among other enviable achievements revolutionized a sustainable, cost effective blood transfusion system at MCHA. Indeed many women who developed excessive blood loss at delivery owe their lives to God and staff of medical lab. Mrs Akinoye, our pioneer head of health information management brought to bear her tremendous competence in medical records keeping. A very special acknowledgment must go to our pioneer head of administration, Mr Niyi Fanibuyan who often had to combine his duties with that of being a round the clock facility manager. To all the pioneer staff of MCHA I say a big thank you. No words or deeds can compensate for the hard work and sacrifices made in saving so many lives. These made the MCHA a global brand it remains till this day. Very soon, your stories will be told in full for posterity.

Finally, I would like to congratulate the successive chief medical directors, Drs Adesina Akintan and Banke Oluwafemi, as well as other management and members of staff of MCHA (past and present) as the 10th anniversary is being celebrated. I pray The Almighty will continue to guide and guard us in our daily activities as we strive to better the lot of our pregnant women and children in Ondo State. Here is wishing you a happy birthday, MCHA.

Dr Lawal Oyeneyin mni
Pioneer Chief Medical Director
Mother and Child Hospital Akure

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