As part of halting avoidable death, the federal government says efforts are underway to improve access to healthcare services for pregnant women and reduce maternal mortality.
The coordinating minister of health, Professor Ali Pate disclosed this at the launch of the Maternal & Neonatal Mortality Innovative Initiative MAMII in Kano.
MAMII is an initiative created to address Nigeria's critical maternal and neonatal mortality rate by strengthening PHC Services, and to nice community engagement.
The initiative, in collaboration with the state governments, local governments, and the coordinating support of international donor agencies, is targeted at reducing the alarming rate of maternal and newborn child mortality in Nigeria.
The Coordinating Minister who decried the alarming rate of maternal and newborn child mortality in Nigeria, said “The MAMII program was initiated as part of President Tinubu’s mandate to address this growth”.
The Minister, who was represented by Dr. Ashiru Adamu Abubakar, explained that MAMII was conceived with a statewide approach, integrating Sub-State and partners to find lasting solutions to the issue.
“The key mandate from Mr. President is to reduce the alarming rate of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria. In fulfilment of the mandate, the Minister launched MAMII, which will be driven by a sector-wide approach to address health challenges, including maternal and child mortality in Nigeria.
The reason for this new intervention was the failure of several previous interventions that have not been able to make an impact. This project is planned to engage the community, hear from them about the challenges, and provide solutions.
Rather than isolating interventions, the Federal Government is moving to the grassroots and working with stakeholders to provide solutions,” he said.
Pregnancy-Related Complications Kill 82,000 Nigerian Women - WHO
In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 82,000 Nigerian women died due to pregnancy-related complications.
The causes of death included severe haemorrhage, high blood pressure, unsafe abortion, and obstructed labour.
A report it released on May 9th, 2023, titled 'Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth: Progress Report 2023’ shows that more than 50,000 women die during childbirth in Nigeria every year.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria’s 40 million women of childbearing age (15 to 49) suffer a disproportionally high level of health issues surrounding birth due to a lack of access to healthcare services.
2,300 Under-five Children and 145 Women of Childbearing Age Die Daily (NPHCDA)
Also, on September 24, 2024, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina, said Nigeria loses about 2,300 under five-year-old children and 145 women of childbearing age daily.
Sadly, most of these deaths are occurring in northern Nigeria, with Kano State topping the list with a staggering 1,025 deaths per 100,000 live births, despite the state government’s commitment to addressing infant and maternal deaths.
Apart from inadequate infrastructure and lack of manpower, some of these women skip prenatal check-ups during pregnancy as they choose traditional healers and often don’t resort to seeking professional medical help until it is too late.
Responding to this challenge in Kano, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Labaran Yusuf Abubakar, regretted the increased rate but “attributed the poor state to the total neglect of the sector by the immediate past administration in the state”.
He said the present administration inherited zero-dose immunization service, which he said contributed to 80 per cent of diphtheria cases in Kano.
He however reiterated the commitment of the Kano State Government to support all efforts of the Federal Government through the MAMII program to reduce the negative indices in Kano.
After the project launch, the health stakeholders were divided into 10 groups to visit 10 public facilities in Kano to understand the level of work to be done in reducing issues associated with maternal mortality in Kano.
During a feedback session, the stakeholders presented their findings with all identifying dilapidated structures, inadequate manpower, poor amenities, skipping of ANC amongst other findings.
To halt the challenges, stakeholders believe that all and sundry must keep the public sector honest, transparent, and accountable, stop dishonest practices, and expose corrupt activities and risks.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of MAMII, Dr Dayo Adeyanju expressed dismay over the increasing avoidable death in Kano with Kura and Tofa among the other 16 LGAs affected the most.
Dr Adeyanju revealed that the alarming situation in the State necessitated the first implementation workshop of the project in the state, where all stakeholders converged to drive a state-specific process that will address the challenge.
“The Federal Government, international organizations, state, and local governments are here to find a common ground and approach to solving maternal and child mortality. The key action is that no mother should die during childbirth.
We shall be looking at issues around access to qualified facilities, transportation for pregnant women, upgrading existing care centres, and building the capacity of experts”, she said.
