Stakeholders make case for maternal health, say no woman should die from pregnancy
admin May 30, 2025 0Stakeholders in the health sector has made case for maternal health in Nigeria, they all agreed that no woman should die from pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions.
This was the crux of the summit organised by Project Aisha Maternal Healthcare Quality Improvement which was held at Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) who was represented by Dr Muhammad Bello, stated that the theme of the Summit ‘Mothers Matter! What does it take to Stop Maternal Deaths? – Closing Quality Gaps in Maternal Healthcare’, reflected the concern of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and aligns with ongoing efforts at National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to achieve the objectives of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) as articulated by the Honourable Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.
He said “Maternal and child health outcomes remain a critical concern to all Nigerians, especially the President, with high maternal mortality rate of 512 per 100,000 live births. These deaths are due to various reasons, including the dearth of trained skilled birth attendants which increases the risk of complications during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth that are not recognized or effectively managed. Mr. President has therefore charged us, under the leadership of the Honourable Coordinating Minister, in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda, to provide quality health care services to all Nigerians and rapidly reduce Maternal and newborn deaths.”
On what the government is doing to shore up maternal health, Aina said “One of the critical elements of functional PHC is the availability of the right number of health workers with the right skills. We have therefore embarked on the retraining of 120,000 frontline health workers, in 4 years to provide integrated quality services in our PHCs. We commenced the retraining in June 2024, and in less than a year, we have retrained 60,470 frontline Health Workers across 36 states and the FCT out of the 4-year target of 120,000. This training equips them with the requisite knowledge and skill to provide global standard quality services.”
He spoke further, “We have worked with the states and LGAs to determine the gaps in the number of frontline health workers and also incentivizing them to increase the numbers. NPHCDA previously engaged and deployed 2,193 Skilled Birth Attendants (SBAs) to states to provide safe delivery services as part of the expanded Midwives Service Scheme (eMSS), For sustainability, we are working with the States to transition the SBAs into the public service.”
He said that these Interventions have caught the attention of the First Lady, Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who has keyed into the retraining programme and is supporting the retrained health workers with donation of non-financial incentives of 60,000 professional kits (branded scrubs and uniforms) among other donations through her Renewed Hope Initiative to boost their morale, and improve infection prevention and control, among other intervention.”
Dr Yewande Ogundeji, Managing Principal (Global Operations) Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), in her opening remarks re-echoed the same theme that no woman should die, “Today, we gather not only as professionals and policymakers, but as advocates-united by one common goal: that no woman should die while giving life.”
She added that despite collective efforts, maternal mortality in Nigeria remains unacceptably high. She said that the 2018 National Demographic and Health Survey painted a concerning picture: only 57% of women received four or more antenatal care visits; less than half of deliveries were attended by skilled providers; and just 39% occurred in health facilities. “The recently released 2024 Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (NDHS) shows progress-facility-based deliveries have increased to 43%, and skilled birth attendance has risen to 63%-yet we know this is not enough.”
Speaking on what HSDF is doing she stated, “At Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), we have worked in alignment with national and state priorities, contributing to meaningful progress through collaborative platforms. A standout initiative is the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMII), launched in November 2024 through the Sector-Wide Approach.
“One of the paths is alignment with national programs like the NHIA’s Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Maternal Care (CEOMC) scheme to ensure timely access to life-saving care. Another is integration-integrating proven tools like our soon-to-be-Launched Change Package Document into the national quality improvement frameworks to guide both public and private sector improvement interventions.”
She called for support saying, “We cannot do this alone. We must deepen collaboration across sectors, invest in the capacity of our health workforce, and center the voices of women and communities in everything we do.
“Let this summit be more than a meeting. Let it be a catalyst-for honest reflection, shared learning, and collective action. Let it drive conversations that foster bold leadership and multi-sectoral partnerships to scale what works.”
