The Kano State Government has set an ambitious target of eliminating maternal mortality within the next four years, following a significant reduction in maternal deaths over the past 18 months.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran, disclosed this on Tuesday during the learning and dissemination meeting of the Accelerating the Expanded Adoption of RMNCH Innovations and Health Reforms in Kano State (AEARI) project.
The meeting was organised by West and Central Africa Health Options (WCA) with support from Technical Advice Connect (TAConnect).
Labaran said maternal mortality in the state had declined by about 50 per cent, from 1,206 recorded cases to 570, attributing the progress to the adoption of innovative interventions, including the E-MOTIVE approach.
“The directive by Governor Abba Kabir-Yusuf is zero maternal mortality, and we are not compromising on that,” he said.
“We have achieved a lot within the year. We started with maternal mortality of 1,206. Now it has dropped by at least 50 per cent, which is a significant reduction and achievement. The Kano State Government is committed to this goal.”
The commissioner said the government had procured 484 ambulances for deployment to the state’s 484 primary healthcare centres to improve emergency transportation for women in labour.
He added that the governor had also approved the expansion of free maternal healthcare commodities for pregnant women accessing services at the 484 primary healthcare facilities across the state.
According to Labaran, interventions such as the E-MOTIVE protocol and the use of calibrated drapes have played a key role in reducing maternal deaths.
“In the next one and a half years, we will reduce it further by another 25 to 30 per cent. Hopefully, in the next three to four years, we will achieve zero maternal mortality.
“Kano is on the right path to reducing maternal mortality,” he said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of West and Central Africa Health Options (WCA), Dr. Ufuoma Omo-Obi, said the organisation had introduced innovative interventions in tertiary and primary healthcare facilities across the state to tackle maternal mortality.
She said about 14,000 safe deliveries had been supported through the programme in the last four months, while approximately 4,500 women received calibrated drug interventions.
According to her, 507 women who developed postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) were successfully treated.
“In the past, those would have been stark numbers of women dying. This programme was able to save those women,” Omo-Obi said.
She added that the programme is currently training 800 healthcare workers and collaborating with skilled birth attendants to strengthen maternal healthcare services across the state.
Source: NAN
