LASG urges traditional birth attendants to refer high-risk pregnancies promptly

The Lagos State Government has urged Traditional Birth Attendants to strengthen referrals to health facilities when pregnant women develop complications, as new figures showing a sharp decline in TBA-recorded antenatal registrations and deliveries raise concerns about how women are accessing maternal healthcare in parts of the state.

The call was made by the Permanent Secretary, Health District III, Dr Monsurat Adeleke, at a stakeholders’ meeting with TBAs in Ibeju-Lekki, where officials sought to determine whether the decline reflected a shift towards formal health facilities or whether some women were dropping out of maternal care altogether. Adeleke disclosed that TBA-recorded deliveries fell by 36 per cent, from 1,308 between January and July 2025 to 837 during the corresponding period of 2026.

The decline was also reflected in antenatal registrations. New registrations recorded by TBAs fell by 31.9 per cent, from 1,594 to 1,085, while old registrations dropped from 3,152 to 1,901 during the period under review. Rather than interpreting the figures as evidence that women were necessarily moving into the formal healthcare system, Adeleke said the government needed to establish what was happening to the women behind the numbers.

She said the meeting was convened partly to determine “if more women were accessing health facilities or avoiding care”, making the referral relationship between TBAs and health workers particularly important. The permanent secretary acknowledged the trust many women continued to place in TBAs but urged practitioners to recognise the limits of the care they could provide and refer women immediately when danger signs emerge.

She specifically identified heavy bleeding, prolonged labour, high blood pressure and convulsions, among other complications, as situations requiring prompt referral to a health facility.Adeleke also placed responsibility on health facilities, saying referrals would only work if women sent by TBAs were properly received and the communication channel between both sides remained functional.

She urged healthcare workers to “receive referrals properly” and maintain communication with TBAs, expressing optimism that closer collaboration could help reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths in communities. The government is also seeking to address one of the practical barriers that can turn a medical complication into a fatal delay: transportation.

Adeleke said Lagos was collaborating with the Federal Government and the National Union of Road Transport Workers on the MAAMI programme, which provides transportation for women in labour to health facilities without unnecessary delay. She further reminded residents that the Lagos State Ambulance Service is available round the clock and can be reached through the emergency number 112.

“I want us to bear in mind that behind every referral is a woman, a baby and a family,” Adeleke said.

The statement captures the central concern behind the state’s engagement with TBAs: a referral is not merely an administrative transfer from one caregiver to another, but potentially the intervention that determines whether a complication ends in survival or preventable death.

The Executive Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, Sesan Olowa, who spoke earlier at the meeting, commended the state government for its continued support for TBAs and urged practitioners to prioritise safe outcomes.

Olowa also called on TBAs to refer cases beyond their professional scope without delay and “do their utmost best to always prevent maternal and child mortality”.