Posted by According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), a recent report on maternal mortality found that 82,000 women die each year in Nigeria from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.
The UNICEF Nigeria Chief of Health, Eduardo Celades, made this statement at a media discussion on COVID-19 and routine immunization that was held on Friday and was organized by the UNICEF Nigeria Office in partnership with the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.
The report, titled “Trends in Maternal Mortality 2000 to 2020,” was produced by the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter Agency Group (MMEIG), which consists of WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank Group, and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (UNDESA/Population Division). It covers the years 2000 to 2020.
Celades stated that this amounted to 225 maternal deaths per day, demonstrating the staggering rate of maternal mortality in the nation.
He stated that the solution “involved a three-pronged approach, which involves increasing effective investments in primary health care at the state level, as well as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF)”. “.
The second objective, according to the UNICEF Nigeria Chief of Health, was to increase the National Health Insurance Scheme. She emphasized that this program is a potent tool for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and lowering maternal mortality.
The most vulnerable individuals, including women who lack access in difficult-to-reach areas, must be targeted, he continued.
Celades bemoaned the fact that Nigeria had the second-highest percentage of zero-dose children in the world and urged routine immunization to be prioritized in order to protect Nigerian children from diseases that can be prevented by vaccination.