Assessment of the Availability and Accessibility of Emergency Obstetric Care Services in Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano, Nigeria

Background: The availability of emergency obstetric care services is measured by the number of facilities that perform all the signal functions in relation to the size of the population. When personnel have carried out the seven signal functions of basic emergency obstetric care services in the 3-month period before the assessment, the facility is considered to be a fully functioning basic facility. This study assessed the availability and accessibility of Emergency Obstetrics Care (EmOC) Service provision.Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital among 246 women presenting with obstetric emergency using client exit interview, check list and record review from an adapted UNDP/WHO/UNICEF EMOC performance standard for hospital. Data analysis was done with SSPS version 20 and Permission was obtained from the hospital and consent from the clients.Result: The study revealed that the laboratory was in good shape with a score of 11 out of the 15 points. In the labour ward, the percentage availability was 63.3%. In the theatre, percentage availability was 85.4%. The hospital offers comprehensive EmOC service. The Obstetrics and Gynaecology department had only 11 medical doctors, 126 nurse-midwives training, 1 anaesthesiologist, 1 pharmacist and few other auxiliary workers. Out of the total of 204 health personnel in this department, only 13 (6.4%) were trained in EmOC service.Conclusion: The human resources availability and equipments needed for the provision of EmOC services were inadequate when compared with the performance standard adopted. Geographical access was poor as majority of the respondents had to travel over long distances to utilize the facility. Therefore, there is need for the staff to be trained on EmOC among others

Knowledge, attitude and practice of safety measures among cooking gas refill attendants in Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Cooking gas refill attendants play important role in the use of gas in Zaria. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and safety measure practices among cooking gas refill attendants in Zaria metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria. A cross sectional study was conducted in January, 2019 among cooking gas refill attendants using structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and checklist. It was a whole-population study of 121 participants. The data was collected using Open Data Kit (ODK) software version 1.21.1 installed in an android device and analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. The results were summarized and presented in tables and charts; p value was set at < 0.05 for statistical significance. Majority (79.6%) of the respondents were within the productive age group of 25 to 44 years with median age 36 years, married (57.9%) and more than half (52.1%) of the respondents had secondary education and all respondents were males. The overall scores for knowledge, attitudes and safety practices were 81.0%, 90.1% and 75.2% respectively but with various deficiencies. Those that attended training were 78.0%. Finding from the checklist showed that 5.8% of the inspected fire extinguishers were expired. The respondents’ knowledge, attitude and safety measures practices were associated with level of education, age and ethnicity. Majority of the gas refill attendants had good knowledge, attitude and safety measure practice, however, with some deficiencies. There is need for training and supervision to ensure use of personal protective equipment and replacement of the expired fire extinguishers

Maternal care practices and health-seeking behaviour for neonatal jaundice in Basawa Community, Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria

Neonatal jaundice (NNJ) is a common condition that occurs in newborns which is preventable and also easily treatable. However, delay in the presentation of infants with jaundice at the hospital is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This study assessed the care practices and health-seeking behaviour for Neonatal Jaundice among mothers in Basawa community Zaria. The cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in January 2017 among mothers aged 15–49 years. One hundred and seventy-two structured, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 21. The mean age of respondents was 34 ± 7.0 years, the main sources of information of respondents about NNJ were relatives (35%) and hospital staff (33.1%). Thirty percent of respondents stated that antenatal care is a preventive practice against neonatal jaundice, 52.3% of them believed that treatment of malaria in pregnancy could prevent neonatal jaundice. Most of the respondents (54%) exposed their jaundiced neonates to the sun, 51.7% took their children to the hospital and 37.2% used herbs. Only 16.9% of the respondents took their jaundiced children to the hospital immediately they noticed it and 16% did this within 24 hours of noticing jaundice in their neonates. The study findings showed inadequate knowledge and poor practices regarding NNJ. There is need for enlightenment and sensitization about the early recognition of NNJ and early presentation for treatment.Keywords: Basawa community, care practices, neonatal jaundice, Nigeria, mother