The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammed Ali Pate, has sought for collaboration with the 36 state governors, development partners, health educators and other relevant stakeholders in reducing the rate of maternal and newborn mortality across the country.
Pate, in his remarks at the opening of a 5-day workshop on Ogun State Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative Co-Creation, held in Abeokuta, on Monday, disclosed that only effective collaboration with different stakeholders would bring about desired result on the matter.
He explained that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is committed at securing the future of the country, by addressing all challenges associated to maternal, newborn mortality.
The Minister recalled that the present administration recently launched the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), with the intention to care for mothers and newborn children.
Pate said, “After his Excellency President, who launched the initiative publicly and nationally last week. This is an initiative that is very important for the present as well as the future of our country, because it is about taking care of our mothers, our newborn children, who ultimately will grow to be responsible adults and contribute to this country’s development.
“So it is an important collective effort that we are pursuing under the direction of the President, but in line with the health sector renewal investment initiative and the sector wide approach that we took on and the compact that we signed with all the 36 state governments, including Ogun state, federal government, cannot do it alone.
“It depends on the collaboration that we have, how we work together closely with states, with other sub-national levels, with our development partners, with civil society, with our committee leaders, that we can achieve results.”
He maintained that no level of government could handle the issue alone, hence, the need for joint effort in reducing mother’s, child deaths.
The Minister said the federal government recently approved $1billion to all the states of the federation to incentivize them in achieving desired results.
The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, represented by his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said the state government placed a premium on maternal and child health.
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While expressing displeasure that two local government areas in the State, Ijebu North East and Ado Odo/Ota were identified to have a high rate of maternal mortality above the national average.
“Despite having an overall maternal mortality rate of 194/100,000, compared to over 500 nationally, we are cognizant of the fact that two of our LGAs (Ijebu NorthEast and Ado-Odo/Ota) have been identified as having maternal mortality above the national average.
“Our government has made maternal and child health a top priority under the Social Welfare and Well-being pillar of our ISEYA Agenda and as such this is unacceptable,” he said.
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