The Government of Cross River State has stopped paying incentives to Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) aimed at encouraging them to liaise with trained midwives and refer complicated cases to gynecologists in secondary medical facilities and other experts.
The Director General of the Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Vivien Mesembe Otu, disclosed this over the weekend during a media dialogue on sick newborns and zero-dose immunization organized by UNICEF in Calabar.
In Cross River, like many southern states, an increasing number of women still patronize TBAs due to costs, accessibility, and cultural beliefs.
The Director General stated that instead of incentivizing TBAs, the government now provides pregnant women with a sum of N5,000 each to encourage them to seek care from experts at primary healthcare centers.
Otu clarified that they are not dispensing with the services of TBAs but have devised ways to train them and bring them closer to the formal healthcare system.
“It will be difficult to dispense with TBAs because they have been integral parts of society for ages.
“What we’re doing is to draw them closer, have them trained, and encourage them to work with our experts at Primary Healthcare Centres, and from time to time, refer difficult or complicated cases to us.
“We’ve stopped enticing TBAs with money. Rather, we give a sum of N5,000 to pregnant mothers attending antenatal counseling,” she said.
As a result, there has been an influx of nursing and pregnant women at many PHCs.
Reacting to the high volumes of these mothers at the PHC in the Ekpo-Abasi community in Calabar, Mrs. Bassey Oyama, who heads the center, appealed for more training of PHC personnel to enable them to cope and align with modern trends.
She, however, lamented that most PHC facilities are not spacious or conducive enough to handle the high demand for antenatal treatments.
“We need more training for our staff to be able to handle antenatal and other birth services efficiently.
“While we’re elated about the support from UNICEF and other partners, we stress that our facility needs expansion. We need delivery couches, beds, solar lighting…” she said.
Cross River stops incentives to TBAs as primary health workers demand higher trainings