The State Government of Sokoto, in collaboration with UNICEF, the Federal Ministry of Health and other development partners, has launched the maternal and newborn mortality initiative (MAMII) aimed at drastically reducing maternal and childish deaths in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the initiative in Sokoto, the State Health Commissioner, Dr. Faruk Abubakar, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to place maternal and child mortality rates through bold reforms, improvement of medical care and multisectoral associations.
He pointed out that Sokoto is still one of the states with the highest maternal and child mortality rates in Nigeria, but assured that the government is determined to reverse the trend.
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“The Government is highly committed to guarantee rapid reductions in maternal and child mortality. With the introduction of the MAMII initiative and the implementation of policies such as compulsory publications of two years for health workers at the base level, we are addressing the shortage of labor and the strengthening of our primary health centers,” he said.
Dr. Abubakar also revealed that the State will soon implement maternal ambulance services in association with road transport unions to relieve reference challenges and guarantee timely access to emergency care.
Also speaking, UNICEF’s Health Manager for the Sakoto field office, Dr. Shamina Sharmin, explained that the initiative is aligned with the objective of the global sustainable development objective (SDG) to reduce maternal mortality to less than 70 per 100,000 living births.
“For more than 15 years, we have been discussing maternal and newborn mortality. Now, it is time to act. Mamii is designed as a comprehensive program that addresses accessibility, availability, quality and equity in the provision of medical care, while adding the barriers on the side of demand such as education and empowerment of women,” he emphasized.
Dr. Adam Ahmad, of the Office of Coordination of the Federal Ministry of Health of Health, stressed that the initiative is part of the National Health Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with Sokoto among the prioritized states for the implementation.
“Our expectation is to deepen communities, understand peculiar challenges and design specific context solutions. All interested parties, government, traditional leaders, civil society and development partners are on board to make this work,” he said.
The launch brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, the Council of Sultanate, state legislators and leaders of the health sector, all promise their support for the initiative.
The MAMII program will be executed for five years under an approach throughout the sector, focusing on strengthening health systems, addressing labor scarcity, providing kits of life salvation, improving reference services and promoting maternal education and community mobilization..
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