Plans Underway For Traditional Birth Attendants, Formal Health System To Strengthen Partnership In Edo state.
By: Our Correspondent
Edo state Tradomedical Birth attendants, registered under Edo State Traditional Medicine Board, TMB, were on Tuesday July 29th 2025, charged to strengthen partnership with the formal health system.
The Chairman, Edo State TMB, Chief Abudu Ugbesia, JP, so charged the Traditional Birth attendants in a meeting he held with them at the conference hall of the Agency, in Benin.
The Edo state TMB Chairman said; "Today’s meeting is aimed at strengthening the partnership between our Traditional Birth Attendants and the formal health system. We recognize the vital role you play — especially in remote communities — in supporting women during pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery. We are here to enhance that contribution with the right collaboration, training, and referrals.”
"...you are trusted in your communities. We know that mothers rely on your wisdom, hands, and care. But there are situations that go beyond traditional methods. This is why we must work as a team — so that high-risk cases can be referred early, and lives can be saved.”
The Chairman, Edo state TMB, who continued by saying the meeting will also help the Board to learn from the Tradomedical Birth attendants, also added that, the experience of the Traditional Birth attendants, is valuable, hence Edo state TMB has no plan to replace them, but to empower them; saying; "Let us share knowledge, respect boundaries, and work together to improve our collective capacities.”
During the meeting, they discussed clean delivery practices, emergency signs, record keeping, and how to strengthen referrals to health centres and hospitals.
In an exclusive chat with the High Chief Ugbesia, the Chairman, Edo state Traditional Medicines Board of Governors, he said; "I am on a mission to sanitize the traditional medicine practice in Edo State. We have zero tolerance for scammers and fake Traditional Medicines practitioners in this state. We will go after them, fish them out and make them face the law".
Continuing, He said before modern medicine came to be, our fore fathers had their way of treating themselves and they lived longer and even healthier than we are living today. We most not forget our roots and herbs, because there are anomous powers in nature.
Chief Ugbesia concluded by saying a number of cesarian sessions conducted today are needless if there are to be adequate collaboration with Tradomedical practitioners.