A 32 year old woman, Mrs Abibat Ayanlola, who delivered a baby girl at the venue of the Ojude-Oba festival in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State on Sunday has received a cash gift from the State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
A visibly elated Ayanlola, while receiving the donation from the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye, at the State General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, expressed gratitude to the governor for the gesture, saying the delivery had caught her unaware.
Ayanlola who had named the baby ‘’Ibikunle Omo Awujale’’, in a chat with the Zonal Information Officer, Ijebu-Ode, after receiving the gift, narrated how medics swiftly came to her aid when they heard her distress call.
The mother who revealed that she hailed from the Awori clan in Ogun State and regularly attended the yearly celebration of the Ojude-Oba, said she never envisaged falling into labour suddenly having been told by her caregivers that her expected delivery date was Sept. 12 .
In her words: “What more can I say, God spared my life and my baby’s and now the governor came to my aid with a cash gift. I can’t be happier. I thank God for living through this episode and also want to thank Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun for his benevolence through the financial support.’’
Ipaye who led the medical team that took the delivery of the baby, however advised pregnant women, particularly those within 35 weeks of conception to minimise their travels as it posed great risk to the safety of the baby and the mother, saying ‘’she took a great risk and was lucky that the emergency team prepared well for such eventuality.’’
According to the Commissioner, ‘’usually when we have large gatherings like this in Ogun State it is customary for us to always have an emergency medical team on standby. If it wasn’t for adequate medical provision perhaps we won’t have reasons to be happy today over this occurrence.’’
He said though the baby was delivered with the umbilical cord round her neck but the team was up to the task to ensure a hitch-free delivery, saying the baby might not have survived as the possibility of losing the mother too was high due to blood loss.
Ipaye urged pregnant women in the state to key into the state government’s Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme, ‘ARAYA’ which provides free and qualitative healthcare, stating that “the services are free for pregnant women, children under five years and the aged.’’