PRISMA Begins Enrollment of Pregnant Women in C’ River

By Abasi Ita
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‎The Pregnancy Risks, Infant Surveillance and Measurement Alliance, PRISMA, has commenced the formal enrollment of pregnant women in Cross River State, marking the transition of the international maternal and child health initiative from stakeholder consultations to full implementation.
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‎The enrollment exercise follows months of extensive engagement with government officials, traditional rulers, religious leaders, healthcare professionals and community stakeholders aimed at building public confidence and encouraging participation in the programme.
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‎The project is enrolling eligible pregnant women within the stipulated trimester in the participating local government areas of Calabar Municipality, Calabar South and Biase.
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‎Women enrolled in the programme will receive comprehensive free healthcare, including antenatal and postnatal services, delivery, Caesarean section where necessary, hospital bills and medical care for both mother and child for one year after childbirth at designated public and private health facilities.
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‎Speaking on the commencement of the enrollment exercise, PRISMA Community Engagement Lead, Professor Anne Meremikwu, expressed satisfaction with the successful rollout of the programme and the overwhelming support received from stakeholders across the state.
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‎She said the project is designed to identify factors responsible for adverse pregnancy outcomes and generate evidence that will strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare interventions.
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‎Professor Meremikwu commended government officials, traditional rulers, religious leaders, traditional birth attendants and community members for embracing the initiative, expressing confidence that the widespread acceptance would translate into massive enrollment.
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‎”We are delighted by the level of cooperation demonstrated by critical stakeholders, including government officials, royal fathers, religious leaders and traditional birth attendants. We are optimistic that the strong interest shown by beneficiaries during our community engagements will translate into massive enrollment,” she said.
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‎Project Manager, Mrs. Chisom Aquaisua, described the commencement of enrollment as a major milestone in the implementation of the project. She said the research team remains committed to ensuring that all eligible pregnant women are enrolled and monitored throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.
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‎She urged expectant mothers in the designated communities to take advantage of the opportunity, stressing that the programme would not only provide quality healthcare but also generate valuable data to support efforts aimed at reducing maternal and infant deaths.
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‎Also speaking, the Clan Head of Ikot Ansa, Ntoe Paul Asim Ita, commended the PRISMA team for selecting the community for the intervention, describing the project as timely and beneficial to families.
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‎The traditional ruler assured the researchers of the community’s full cooperation and pledged to mobilize residents to ensure that all eligible pregnant women participate in the programme.
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‎Similarly, the Chairman of the Ward Development Committee for Ward 10 and Secretary of the Ikot Omin Traditional Rulers Council, Pastor Bernard Itu, applauded the initiative, noting that it would improve access to quality maternal healthcare while helping to reduce preventable deaths among mothers and newborns.
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‎Speaking during a community engagement rally in Adim, President of the Adim Women Biase Association, Mrs. Mary Patrick, disclosed that her organisation, which comprises more than 1,000 women across Biase Local Government Area, had embarked on an extensive sensitization and mobilization campaign to encourage eligible pregnant women to enroll in the programme because of its enormous health benefits.
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‎”We have carried out an intensive sensitization and mobilization campaign to ensure massive participation by our eligible daughters and sisters because of the immense benefits of this project.
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‎”We are particularly grateful for the provision of modern equipment to our health facilities as part of this initiative. We are committed to ensuring the success of the project and hope it will be sustained and expanded to benefit more communities across Biase,” she said.
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‎PRISMA is part of a multicountry research initiative aimed at tracking pregnancy outcomes and identifying factors associated with maternal and infant mortality. In Nigeria, the project is led by Professor Martin Meremikwu and Professor Saturday Etuk of the University of Calabar.
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‎The programme seeks to enroll thousands of pregnant women and monitor them from early pregnancy through childbirth and the first year of their children’s lives. The evidence generated will support policies and interventions aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes in Nigeria.