At least 700 women out of every 10,000 deliveries
die annually in
Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital in one of the
country’s worst cases of maternal mortality.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Iya,
who gave this information during an interview
with Saturday Punchsaid the number was higher
than the national average in the north-central
zone.
He said Nasarawa State like any other state got
$1.5m under the “Save One Million Lives”
initiative established by the former President,
Goodluck Jonathan.
While expressing worry over the high rate of
maternal mortality in the state, Iya said the
government was disturbed over the situation,
stressing that more efforts needed to be
intensified to improve medical facilities in the
state.
Iya confirmed that out of the 700 primary health
care centres across the state, only few were
dysfunctional.
He said efforts had been put in place by the state
government to ensure that all the health care
centres in the 13 local government areas and
other medical facilities were repositioned towards
curbing the trend.
The commissioner insisted that his ministry was
making efforts to sanitise the health sector by
tackling quackery in the state.
He said the government had decided not to ban
traditional medical practitioners in the state but
to sensitise them to offer safer services to their
patients.
Meanwhile, the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar
Bahago, has called for citizens’ engagement in
service delivery in the health sector to reduce the
rise of maternal mortality in Niger State.
Bahago said this when a non-governmental
organisation, White Ribbon Alliance, paid him a
courtesy visit at his palace on Friday.
Bahago said the state government had intensified
its effort in the employment of more medical
personnel for better service delivery.
While commending the governor’s wife, Dr. Amina
Bello, for introducing ‘Mama Kit’ in the state,
Bahago pledged his support for the activities of
the Alliance.
“We commend your effort and we are in total
support of your activities especially as it has to
do with health and the betterment of our people”,
he declared.
Earlier, the National Coordinator, WRA, Mr. Tonte
Ibraye, commended the Governor, Abubakar Bello,
for strengthening about 200 health care facilities
in the state and creating 70 new ones.
He lamented that 28 per cent of pregnant women
in the state do not have access to good health
facilities.
Ibraye added that because of the neglect that had
given rise to maternal mortality in the state, there
was need for the government to remain
accountable and deliver on promises to ensure
that citizens, especially women are engaged in
policy implementation.
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