Dr. Patience Johnathan Changes Her Name

The First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan on Friday
inaugurated the Subsidy Reinvestment and
Empowerment Programme Maternal and Child Health
otherwise known as MAMA Project with a declaration
that henceforth she should no longer be called
Patience but “Mama Peace.”

According to her, the peace evangelism was what she
would be preaching to bring an end to insurgency and
terrorism including the menace of Boko Haram islamic
sect in the country.

Speaking at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa,
Abuja, venue of the event, she also stated that her
non-governmental organisation, Women for Change
Initiative, had signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with some international health
agencies and hospitals to build, equip and manage
the best hospital for women and children in Africa.

The SURE-P MCH is a direct intervention by the
Federal Government using the savings from the fuel
subsidy removal, to reduce the incidence of maternal
and child mortality.
The First Lady said, “My name is no more Patience
but now Mama Peace because I believe that without
peace, there will be no more women, no more children
and no more health sector. Without peace, the
international community will be afraid to come and
invest in our country.

“Peace is from the heart and not from the tongue or
lips; not what you say but what is in you. We pray for
genuine peace because peace is the key to our
arriving at our desired destination as a nation.

“We are approaching the new year which is a year of
peace, progress and so many good things to come.

2014 is going to be a year of no militancy and no
Boko Haram because God will shower peace and
make us take a U-turn from disaster.”

She also stated that her primary constituency is
women and children, adding that it was her concern
and interest in their well-being that made her go in
search of help from international partners and
agencies to establish the best women and children
hospital in Africa.

“That was why I went in search of help; that is why
soon I’m going to sign an MoU with some
international hospital to build one of the best hospital
here in Nigeria that will be the best in Africa. The
hospital is almost completed and will soon be
equipped and then our international partners will run
it to provide the best healthcare to our women and
children,” the President’s wife stated.

Speaking on the MAMA Project, she said the initiative
was targeting 500 primary health care facilities and
125 General Hospitals in the country, describing it as
an important milestone in the nation’s efforts to
ensure maternal, newborn and child survival.
The First Lady added that, “As you are aware,
complications related to pregnancy and child birth are
among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity
in women of reproductive age in developing countries
– Nigeria is no exception.

“Available statistics show that every minute, a woman
dies of complications related to pregnancy and
childbirth. In Nigeria, experts say it is one in 15;
which means that one out of every 15 women who
give birth will die of pregnancy-related causes.

“The country has two per cent of the world’s
population but accounts for 10 per cent of global
maternal and under-five deaths. However, the good
news is that, current figures from the National Bureau
of Statistics indicate appreciable reduction in
maternal mortality ratio from 545 per 100,000 live
births to 350 per 100,000 live births.

“I am happy to learn that the SURE-P MCH will not
only increase ante-natal care attendance by 52 per
cent, but will also increase skilled birth attendance by
63 per cent and postnatal care by 63 per cent.

“I believe most of these deaths are preventable if
women have access to adequate health care services
and skilled care at the time of delivery.

“The launch of the SURE-P MCH project today
provides that access, with provision of quality
maternal, newborn and child health care.

“The benefits are enormous: Better infrastructure and
increased human resources to encourage greater use
of health care services.
“Upgrade of community dispensaries to Primary
Health Care centers and greater involvement of more
local health workers.

“Direct beneficiaries will be pregnant women and
newborns, and conditional cash transfers of N5,000
to mothers who make four antenatal care visits, are
delivered by skilled birth attendants and make
immediate postnatal care visit.

“I have no doubt that effective implementation of this
project will accelerate the country’s progress towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals,
especially targets 4; to reduce child mortality and 5;
to improve maternal health.
“I will use this opportunity to call on our women,
particularly the pregnant ones to take advantage of
this project and utilise the antenatal care, as well as
the delivery and postnatal care services being
provided at the primary health centre nearest to them.
These services are for your good and for the good of
your children.”