Bauchi govt raises alarm over rising maternal mortality rate

The Bauchi State Government has expressed deep concern over the state’s alarming maternal mortality rate, as highlighted in the 2023 National Demographic and Health Information Survey, NDHIS, which ranked Bauchi worst in the North-East region.

Speaking at the inauguration of advocacy champions for the Accelerating Implementation of Maternal, Neonatal, Child Nutrition and Health Innovations, AIM-MNCHN, project, held at the State Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Tuesday, Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Sani Mohammed Dambam, described the situation as worrisome.

Represented by the Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, the Commissioner attributed the poor maternal health indices to largely preventable factors.

He called for urgent and coordinated action by stakeholders and development partners to reverse the trend.

He noted that the state government has begun addressing the challenges in the health sector, including the recent approval of an upward salary review for health workers in state-owned health facilities to align their earnings with counterparts in federal institutions and curb the exodus of medical personnel.

Dr Dambam also urged the newly inaugurated advocacy champions to work closely with professional associations such as the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, and the Guild of Medical Directors, GMD, to promote antenatal care, institutional delivery, and postnatal services.

In her remarks, President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, MWAN, Bauchi State Chapter, and State Project Team Lead, Dr Umma Hani Ja’afaru, disclosed that the AIM-MNCHN project specifically targets postpartum haemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal deaths in Nigeria.

She said the initiative is being implemented in collaboration with a consortium of partners including Pathfinder International, the African Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy, ACEPHAP, and the Centre for Communication and Social Impact, CCSI.

Bauchi govt raises alarm over rising maternal mortality rate