Sokoto to tackle maternal mortality, plans free delivery kits, solar lights

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The Sokoto State Government has announced plans to introduce free delivery kits for women giving birth in public health facilities across the state as part of renewed efforts to reduce maternal and newborn mortality.

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The Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Abubakar, disclosed this on Monday at the dissemination of the Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care assessment report in Sokoto.

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Abubakar said the government would also provide solar lighting for labour rooms and maternity units while strengthening antenatal care services to address challenges contributing to maternal and infant deaths.

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He said the state had recorded progress in some key health indicators, including improved immunisation coverage and a gradual decline in maternal and child mortality, but acknowledged that more needed to be done.

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He said, “We are committed to addressing the three delays responsible for maternal mortality. These include delays in seeking medical attention, delays in reaching health facilities and delays in receiving adequate medical attention.”

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The commissioner said the dissemination provided an opportunity for stakeholders to assess the performance of the health sector, identify gaps, improve resource allocation and strengthen coordination among government agencies and development partners.

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He added that reliable health statistics remained critical to effective planning and accountability, noting that the state would use evidence from the exercise to formulate policies and programmes that would improve healthcare delivery.

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Abubakar also disclosed that more than 60 per cent of resolutions reached at the National Health Council had been implemented in Sokoto, describing the state as one of the leading states in implementing national health policies.

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He, however, said challenges remained, particularly inadequate financial protection and the need for deeper investment and reforms in the health sector.

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The commissioner urged all development partners whose mandates covered maternal health to incorporate the reduction of maternal mortality into their programmes in Sokoto State.

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Speaking at the event, the Sokoto State ALGON Chairman, Abba Shehu, called for the extension of the programme to all 23 local government areas, particularly rural communities where many of the challenges affecting maternal healthcare persist.

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Shehu said, “The problem we are discussing is at the local government level. You cannot find all these problems in the state capital.

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“We need to extend this programme across the 23 local governments so that we can have a wider campaign involving district heads, village heads and community leaders.”

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He assured stakeholders that local government chairmen were ready to support initiatives aimed at improving maternal and newborn healthcare at the grassroots.

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Also speaking, the Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Kabiru Dauda, assured that the Sokoto State House of Assembly would give full legislative support to the initiative.

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Dauda said the legislature would continue to enact and support laws and policies aimed at protecting pregnant women and children and improving access to quality healthcare services.

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Earlier in her remarks, the UNFPA Sokoto Field Office representative, Dr Rabi Sagir, said the dissemination was designed to move beyond simply presenting statistics to taking concrete action based on evidence from the assessment.

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She said the exercise would focus on identifying critical infrastructure, human resource and supply gaps affecting Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care services across the 23 LGAs.

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According to her, stakeholders would also work towards securing policy and financial commitments from the state government, development partners and other key actors to integrate the improvement plan into the state’s operational plans and budgets.

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Sagir said the exercise would further promote synergy among development partners and stakeholders in implementing recommendations aimed at improving maternal and newborn healthcare in the state.

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She urged stakeholders to translate the findings of the assessment into practical interventions that would improve the availability, quality and accessibility of EmONC services across Sokoto State.

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