FG Worried Over High Maternal Mortality Rate

The Federal Government has recently expressed its concerns regarding the country’s poor health indices, especially the rate of maternal and child deaths, stating that efforts must be made to correct the situation as Nigeria accounts for 14 per cent of yearly maternal deaths, globally.

The government noted that while thousands of women die each year from pregnancy and delivery-related causes, about one million children also die yearly before they reach their fifth birthday.

The Federal Government stressed that in line with the Renewed Hope mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it is prioritising reforms in the health sector for greater efficiency and the achievement of Universal Health Coverage.

The Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr. Salma Anas Ibrahim, announced this at a health summit organised by COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability in Africa (CTAP) in collaboration with Connected Development (CODE) and BudgIT.

“We have recorded some progress in some health output indicators, such as skilled birth attendance, Under-Five mortality rate, and maternal mortality rate, among others, as reported from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2021) and the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS 2018).

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“However, looking closely at the numbers, health outcomes in Nigeria remain unacceptably poor.

“Despite the reduction in maternal mortality rate from 576 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2013 to 512 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018, yet more than 33,000 women die each year from pregnancy and delivery-related causes; and Nigeria still accounts for 14 per cent of maternal deaths worldwide.

“With the Under-Five mortality rate, even with the modest improvements recorded (from 120/1,000 live births in 2016 to 102/1,000 live births in 2021), about one million children die before they reach their fifth birthday yearly.

“Now, this is a grim situation which requires that we do things differently to reduce these untimely and avoidable deaths to the barest minimum.”

CODE’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hamzat Lawal said: “Emergencies can strike anytime. Being ready is not an option; it’s a necessity. There is a need, therefore, to allocate funds for operational research, establish healthcare contingency reserves, and strengthen our incident management capabilities.

“Equity should be our guiding principle – from resource distribution to accountability. We must fight corruption, expand health coverage, monitor private healthcare providers, and promote inclusivity.”