Health
FG partners state govts, other stakeholders to combat maternal, child mortality
Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate, the Hon. Minister of Health has declared that educating mothers regarding their health status is key to reducing high rate of maternal and child mortality, as according to him, lack of knowledge is often responsible for maternal complications and death.
The Minister made the assertion on Monday during the 5-day workshop on Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMII) held at the DMA Hall, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Prof. Ali Pate who launched the programme in Ogun State a week after it was publicly and officially launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, described MAMII as an initiative that is very important for the present as well as the future of our country because the concept is about taking care of our mothers, our Newborn children who ultimately grow to responsible adults and contribute to the development.
He declared, “Federal government can not do it alone, it depends on the collaboration that we have, how we work together closely with states,other sub national levels, our development partners, civil society, community leaders we can achieve results, No single level of government can do it alone.”
The Minister also assured the participants that considering the diversity of our country, an Abuja based solution not going to solve mothers and child mortality menace which the collaboration already given priority to the context in their planning.
Prof. Ali Pate, disclosed that about 774 facilities that will serve as primary and secondary healthcare centers have been identified for the healthcare sector across the country.
According to the Minister, the facilities are also being expanded by the Nigeria Health Insurance Scheme (NHIA) so they can provide free treatment for emergencies related to certain complications.
“The education of our mothers also matters; their nutritional status matters. Maternal anemia is a strong predictor of maternal complications and death. Addressing these requires a multi-sectoral lens.
“The emergency ambulance scheme is also part of that because if a woman is not able to come to a facility, that can be a major issue.
“There resources have been identified, and for eligible women who go to those facilities, they can be treated when they have emergency complications requiring cesarean sections or other interventions, and they will be reimbursed, so we take away the cost barrier to access,” he said.
In his speech, the Ogun Governor, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Engr Noimot Salako-Oyedele, revealed that his administration has made huge investment in upgrading health care system with a budgetary allocation of 13% to the sector in 2025, and that Ogun is currently having an overall maternal mortality rate of 194 per 100,000 compared to 500 per 100,000 nationally.
Prince Dapo Abiodun added that his administration has revitalized primary healthcare centers to ensure quality healthcare services are available at the grassroots where they are needed most, adding that 472 community health extension workers have been employed and an additional 400 allied health staff have been confirmed to boost healthcare delivery in the state.
He noted that in December last year,he launched the Ogun State Drug and Health Commodities Management Agency (OGDHMA) with the task of ensuring the availability, affordability, and equitable distribution of essential medicines and health commodities in the state, in addition to the provision of about 80 tricycle ambulances across all 20 local government areas of the state. He added that a free maternal transport service is currently being piloted in a local government to ensure timely access to life-saving care.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, emphasised that the program was meant to ensure that no woman dies while giving birth in the state, adding that the initiative will help strengthen the health sector infrastructure and also ensure equitable access to life-saving interventions for mothers and their newborns.
While speaking on the objectives of the project, the program coordinator of the Ogun State Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMII), Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, said that it is important for the health sector to be innovative in reducing the mortality rate, adding that a contract was recently signed between the federal government, state governments, and partners to ensure that maternal mortality is tackled with one voice, one plan, and one budget.