Health experts warn of high newborn death rate, push for urgent health reforms

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has called for urgent and coordinated action to reduce Nigeria’s high rate of newborn deaths, warning that the country remains far from achieving global neonatal survival targets.

Pate made the call in a speech delivered on his behalf by Dr Ahmed Mohammed at the 18th Annual General and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine in Port Harcourt.

The minister said Nigeria’s neonatal mortality rate stands at about 41 deaths per 1,000 live births, far above the Sustainable Development Goal target of 12 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030.

He described the conference theme, “Closing the Gap Towards Achieving Newborn-Related Sustainable Development Goals: Ending Nigeria’s Preventable Newborn Deaths,” as timely and aligned with the Federal Government’s health priorities.

While acknowledging gradual progress, Pate stressed that achieving the target would require sustained investment and stronger interventions across maternal and newborn healthcare.

He noted that many newborn deaths can be prevented through proven, cost-effective measures such as skilled birth attendance, neonatal resuscitation, kangaroo mother care for premature babies, early breastfeeding, infection prevention, and prompt referral for specialised care.

According to him, the Federal Government is scaling up newborn care through the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative by strengthening maternal and newborn health services, expanding kangaroo mother care and neonatal resuscitation programmes, upgrading special care baby units, deploying essential newborn commodities, and improving referral systems in collaboration with state governments and development partners.

Pate noted that progress in reducing neonatal deaths has lagged behind gains recorded in maternal and child health, describing newborn survival as one of the country’s most pressing health challenges.

“Every newborn life saved is not only a family preserved from tragedy, but also an investment in Nigeria’s future human capital and national development,” he said, urging stakeholders to use the conference to strengthen partnerships and develop practical solutions for ending preventable newborn deaths.

Also speaking, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, described newborn survival as a critical public health priority for the Rivers State Government.

He said tackling the challenge requires coordinated action, evidence-based interventions, stronger health systems, and continuous professional development for healthcare workers.

Dr Wachukwu highlighted the state’s focus on expanding Universal Health Coverage, improving access to quality newborn care, accelerating implementation of the Nigeria Every Newborn Action Plan, strengthening reviews of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, and enhancing healthcare workers’ skills through neonatal resuscitation and respiratory support training.

He said these efforts, supported by strategic healthcare investments, capacity building, quality improvement initiatives, and stronger accountability mechanisms, are aimed at ensuring that every newborn not only survives but thrives.

Earlier, the President of the Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine, Professor Reteola Fadjulu, expressed concern over Nigeria’s persistently high newborn mortality rate, revealing that about 700 babies die daily across the country.

Professor Fadjulu said the conference brings together doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to explore innovative ways of improving newborn survival and expanding access to quality neonatal care.

She noted that the society had organised community outreach programmes and specialised training for healthcare workers on essential newborn care, neonatal resuscitation, and respiratory support ahead of the conference.

She identified prematurity, birth asphyxia, and infections as the leading causes of newborn deaths in Nigeria, stressing that many of the fatalities are preventable through timely medical intervention and proper maternal care.

She also warned against harmful traditional practices, particularly the application of substances to a newborn’s umbilical cord, which can lead to life-threatening infections.

Professor Fadjulu emphasised the importance of antenatal care in detecting and managing pregnancy-related complications early, thereby reducing risks to both mothers and babies. She also called for greater government support for newborn healthcare financing.

“What we want is that every newborn in any state in Nigeria, in any local government, there has to be free healthcare for that newborn,” she said.

She acknowledged ongoing Federal Government efforts to integrate newborn services into maternal healthcare programmes, noting that pilot initiatives are already underway in Lagos and Kano States.

Professor Fadjulu added that years of advocacy by neonatal health experts have helped elevate newborn survival on the national health agenda and expressed optimism that expanded government support would further reduce preventable newborn deaths across the country.

Health experts warn of high newborn death rate, push for urgent health reforms