ANGELA ONWUZOO

Consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists have alerted that Lagos State will experience an explosion of newborn babies in the next seven to eight months as a result of the recent lockdown due to the COVID -19 pandemic .

The maternal and child experts , Dr. Akinde Joseph , Chairman , Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria ( SOGON ) , Lagos State chapter and Dr . Modupe Adedeji , Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, also warned that except proactive steps are taken, there would also be more cases of mental health issues in the state, due to hundreds of unwanted pregnancies.

Dr . Joseph , a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist , said the lockdown has resulted in many unplanned pregnancies.
Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise in an exclusive interview , he said the nation must respond properly to a recent report on the impact of COVID -19 on maternal health and low patronage of family planning services by women.

It would be recalled that a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria , Prof. Oladapo Shittu, had recently said that the lockdown imposed to reduce community spread of COVID -19 resulted in fewer client visits at hospitals for family planning services .

According to Shittu, this poses concerns about reproductive health emergencies, such as unplanned pregnancies for the women who could not access care .

Shittu, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, had stated that an analysis of clinical data at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, revealed significant drop in client visit for family planning services from 150 in February to less than 50 at the end of May .

Speaking on the impact of the lockdown on maternal health in Lagos State , the SOGON chairman told our correspondent that besides increase in unintended pregnancies, the lockdown would further lead to increase in unsafe abortion and maternal death .

He explained , “ Though, we don’ t have the collation of the number of clients who visited Lagos hospitals for family planning services between February and May , what we are observing generally is that women are afraid of coming to the hospital to access the services because of COVID - 19.
“ The women feel that once they come to the hospital to utilise services, they will be infected with COVID - 19.

“ They forgot that once they don’ t use family planning and they are having regular sex , it will result in unplanned pregnancies.

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