Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adams Adeiza Abdulazeez has decried maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the state, describing it has “unacceptably high”.
Dr. Abdulazeez made this known while declaring the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) 5-Day Implementation Design Workshop open in Lokoja on Monday.
Represented by Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Kogi State Ministry of Health, Mr. Steven Momoh Aziz, the Commissioner noted that too many mothers and newborns are lost annually due to preventable causes.
“This not only devastates families, but it also has a significant impact on our society and economy. We cannot continue to let this happen. That is why this health program, which has been organized in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and our partners, is of utmost importance,” he said.
The Commissioner commended Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for making improved healthcare system in the state a top priority of his government.
He said Governor Ododo firmly believes that a healthy population is the backbone of any thriving society, and he has been working tirelessly to ensure that the people of Kogi State have access to quality healthcare services.
“Under his leadership, we have seen remarkable developments in the health sector which has resulted in a significant improvement in the delivery of healthcare services across the state,” he stated.
He appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) program that is changing and transforming the health sector across Nigeria.
Dr. Abdulazeez also expressed gratitude to the Federal Ministry of Health, all partners and sponsors whose support and collaboration have been integral to the success of efforts towards improving healthcare delivery in Kogi State, most especially the maternal and child health.
Country Lead, MAMII, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, said Lokoja is one of the 172 local government areas in Nigeria with high maternal mortality rate.
He said the MAMII program aims to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths by focusing on localized communities with high mortality rates, identifying specific drivers and developing context-specific solutions in a unified and collaborative way.
“Our intervention is to support the public sector to strengthen them and to build the capacity of family planning service providers by training them on long acting reversible contraceptives so that when they get back to their various communities, via their facility, they offer quality family planning services.
“By doing so, it will prevent unintended pregnancy in our community and in Kogi state and help reducing the rate of unsafe abortion in Kogi state because this is a major indicator to maternal mobility and mortality in Nigeria,” Dr. said.
MSI, Mrs Titilayo Falodun of MSI confirmed collaboration with the state on quality data collection.
She said MSI is currently supporting 100 facilities in the state and will scale up the support in the next few months.
Kogi State SWAP Focal Person, Dr Emmanuel Bola Jonah, explained that though Lokoja local government is a major focus, experiences garnered will be shared for implementation in other LGAs across Kogi state.
