UNICEF: MICS-6 Ranks Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo With High Infant Mortality Cases
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), it is essential to use the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS-6) to eradicate poverty and other social menaces in Nigeria, particularly those affecting women and children.
The UNICEF stated this at a two-day media dialogue that began yesterday and organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lagos State Directorate, in conjunction with the Fund, tagged: “2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS-6) for Journalists in South-West Zone.”
It advised Ekiti, Ogun, and Oyo states to adopt necessary strategies to strengthen their health system toward reducing the high rate of infant and child mortality.
Over 70 journalists, drawn from different media organisations in the South-West and statisticians, are currently participating in the dialogue held at the Kakanfo Conference Centre, Ibadan.
However, the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2021 MICS has ranked the three states high with cases of infant and child mortality.
It said that between three and four children out of 10 die within one month of delivery in those states. UNICEF M4R Specialist, Mr. Oluwasola Olanipekun, who spoke on an overview of MICS-6 implications across the South-West region, affirmed that 21 percent of children in the region were delivered outside health facilities, which he said, contributed to child mortality.
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He added that Ondo State had the highest child mortality in the region, recording 35 percent of death between the first and fifth birthday and higher by 12 percent than the South-West average.
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He disclosed that Osun State had the highest number of out-of-school children in the South-West with an average rate of 13 percent.
On early child marriage, Olanipekun rated Ekiti State high, revealing that one out of 10 girls get married before the age of 15, while three out of 10 boys get married before 18 years.
Meanwhile, The UNICEF Health Specialist, Dr. Ijeoma Agbo, has advised the affected states to comply with the global requirement of one primary healthcare facility per ward and make them functional.
She also called for improved awareness of the need for expectant mothers to patronise healthcare facilities rather than faith-based clinics, which is a major factor responsible for the high mortality rate.
Agbo explained that though Lagos State has the lowest rate of child mortality, there is a need for its government to also do more considering the population.
Earlier, the UNICEF Communication Officer, Lagos Office, Mrs. Blessing Ejiofor, said the importance of data in reporting could not be over-emphasized.
Dr. Waheed Isola, the Director of NOA in Lagos, urged participants to report facts and figures as encapsulated in MICS-6 on matters affecting women and children.
