The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, explained that the federal government is also working tirelessly to reduce the infant or under-five mortality rate by 15%. Photo: Radio Nigeria archive
The federal government says Nigeria remains on course to meet its 2027 target of reducing the maternal mortality rate by 20%.
Dr Iziaq Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, stated this on Monday in Enugu State during the presentation of 10,000 professional kits to midwives by the wife of the President, Remi Tinubu.
According to Dr Salako, the nurses and midwives have played a critical role in addressing the maternal and under-five mortality rate in the country; hence, the distribution of professional kits to nurses and midwives to motivate and empower medical professionals leading the fight.
The minister maintained that the idea is to create a large pool of motivated and empowered professionals who can deliver on the agenda of the president to reduce the maternal mortality rate and under-five mortality rate by 20% and 15%, respectively, by 2027.
He commended the midwives for what he described as the impactful role that midwives are playing in the efforts to fight maternal mortality across the country in line with the child health agenda of the present administration.
“The Federal Government appreciates your invaluable services to our country. And we will continue to support you with the needed tools, welfare packages, and all the enablement to perform your duties. The kits that is being given today represent a commitment to life, and the dignity of our women and children. I urge you to deploy the kits for the purpose they are meant for with full responsibility and full commitment to the pledge that we all took as professionals,” he said.
Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in several low- and middle-income countries is alarming, with about 34% of global maternal deaths occurring in Nigeria and India alone.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the MMR in Nigeria is 814 (per 100,000 live births). The lifetime risk of a Nigerian woman dying during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, or post-abortion is 1 in 22, in contrast to the lifetime risk in developed countries, estimated at 1 in 4900.
In January 2025, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said 60% of maternal, newborn, and child mortality in Nigeria is due to a lack of access to quality healthcare facilities and services.
Editing by Oluwaseyi Ajibade
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