The maternal mortality ratio in Kano State has dropped from 1,025 to 358 deaths per 100,000 live births, representing a reduction of more than 50 per cent, the State Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Coordinator, Mansura Yahya Haruna, has disclosed.
Haruna made this known during a two-day Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCA+N) Technical Working Group meeting organised by the Kano State Ministry of Health, with support from Pathfinder International, the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), the African Centre for Excellence in Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP) and other partners.
She said the latest figure was generated through a project led by ACEPHAP under the leadership of Professor Hadiza Galadanci, adding that the data was being used to guide maternal and child health interventions across the state.
“The data we are currently using shows that our maternal mortality ratio is 358 per 100,000 live births. Compared with the previous figure of 1,025 per 100,000 live births, this represents more than a 50 per cent reduction,” Haruna said.
She attributed the improvement to data-driven interventions and sustained efforts by the state government and development partners to strengthen maternal healthcare services.
Haruna, however, said the government would not rest on the achievement, stressing that interventions would be expanded across the state rather than being restricted to identified MAMI LGAs.
“Because our interventions are data-driven and we have seen the results, we are looking at Kano State as a whole. We are not limiting our interventions to only the MAMI LGAs,” she said.
According to her, the state is prioritising the expansion of essential newborn care, while also strengthening antenatal and postnatal services to further improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.
“Part of the plan is to scale up essential newborn care from the point of birth and strengthen antenatal and postnatal care. We also want to establish neonatal corners across primary and secondary health facilities,” she said.
Haruna explained that the proposed neonatal corners would enable healthcare workers to properly assess newborns, provide immediate care and identify babies requiring specialised treatment before discharge.
“Every newborn should receive critical care and be properly assessed to ensure that the baby is stable before being discharged home. Where there are complications, we also have plans to expand Special Care Baby Units across the state,” she added.
She said the government remained committed to using reliable health data to identify gaps, target interventions and sustain the progress recorded in reducing maternal and newborn deaths across Kano State.
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