Nigeria needs to increase its efforts to reduce the under-5 mortality rate by nine times in order to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2 target by 2030, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Currently, Nigeria’s annual reduction rate for under-5 mortality is only 1.8%, which is insufficient to achieve the SDG target.
UNICEF has indicated that Nigeria must accelerate this reduction to 16.5% per year. Achieving this significant increase will require dedicated collaboration from the government, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders.
The UNICEF Health Manager, MNCAH and HIV, Martin Dohlsten, while disclosing this in his presentation at a two day media dialogue and field trip on neonatal health care, childhood illnesses and MR Vaccination held in Port Harcourt, said, only half of the women in Nigeria deliver with the assistance of skilled birth attendants, however, data from Rivers State showed significant patronage.
Dohlsten also explained that Nigeria’s high mortality rate was due to this statistics, adding that there was a relationship between the number of women being attended to by professionals during child birth and the child’s survival rate.
He noted that 32% of children born in Nigeria die between day 1 to 28 of their life due to being born prematurely or birth asphyxia.
He also said 79% of newborn deaths were due to infections, prematurity and asphyxia adding that progress in neonatal health care would be achieved if the government focuses on them.
He blamed this on lack of stable electricity, running water, skilled birth attendants, a solid referral system and lack of clinical guidelines for maternal and Newborn care.
Also, the UNICEF Health Specialist, Dr. Abe Eghe, said, UNICEF has been championing vaccination campaigns across the country to reduce the number of children dying from vaccine preventable diseases:
“For UNICEF, what we try to do for Rivers State is to support both routine immunization, intensification of routine immunization, support with supplementary immunization, and ensure that the states have adequate resources.
“Last year, River State was supported to conduct a measles campaign, and they were able to get as much as 78% of the target coverage. And also, ongoing right now is that we’re also supporting them with a big catch-up campaign, where we are trying to see, that those children missed during the COVID era get immunized”, he said.
Also speaking during a field tour by journalists to the Model Primary Healthcare Centre located in Akpajo – Eleme, Rivers State, Chief Medical Director, Rivers State Hospitals Management Board. Dr. Bright Ogbondah, said that UNICEF has built and equipped the neonatal healthcare unit at the Eleme General Hospital as well as assisted the state in providing the oxygen plants.
The facility visit conducted as part of the UNICEF Media Dialogue held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Tuesday, enabled journalists to inspect hospital facilities and also interface with patients as well as health workers.
Ogbondah who is in-charge of operations at the Medical Oxygen Plant located at Ncha in Eleme, explained the impact of the oxygen plant saying it has been of immense help in the treatment of critical illnesses, especially complications arising from child birth.
“The Oxygen Plant has gone a long way in alleviating the plight of the people when it comes to the issue of medical emergencies,” he said.
Ogbondah said the initiative to establish the oxygen plant came during the outbreak of COVID-19 and desperate demand for oxygen ventilators to take care emergency cases at the isolation centre located within Eleme General Hospital.
He noted that with the slowing down of COVID-19 cases, the oxygen plant has turned its attention to supplying medical oxygen to hospitals within the area, including the newly established Neonatal Healthcare Centre.
On the observation by journalists that there were few numbers of children and other patients at the neonatal facility, the Medical Director, Dr. Leechi Okere, said the clinic was recently opened for operations hence people are not yet fully aware of its services.
Earlier at the Primary Healthcare Centre in Akpajo in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, the Director, Public Health and Disease Control in the state, Dr. Ndubisi Akpah, said the collaboration between the state and UNICEF has brought tremendous improvement in the healthcare delivery in the communities
For instance, he explained that the healthcare centre recently handled a critical case of a baby with mild birth Asphyxia with the help of Oxygen concentrator and the child recovered.
He said before now such cases would have been referred to another facility which most times are private medical facility at huge cost to the parents.
On its part, UNICEF Chief of Field Office Dr. Anslem Otobo Audu called for more investment in facilities to improve children’s healthcare, especially the new born.
He said that this can be done by providing more funds towards upgrading of the Primary Healthcare Centres.
Audu said that neonatal healthcare and childhood illnesses have remained pressing challenges in Nigeria where too many children still face premature deaths and debilitating health issues that could otherwise be prevented.
He said although the country has witnessed remarkable progress in maternal and child health, government must continue to implement interventions that ensure every child receives the healthcare they deserve from the moment they are born.
“It is crucial that we strengthen our healthcare systems, increase access to quality services, and raise awareness about the importance of early and continuous weather for children.” He said.
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