The Federal Government’s effort at boosting maternal health has received the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNH4+, as well as the Canadian Government.
On Tuesday, UNFPA and Canada donated maternal health commodities and medical equipment worth US$6.2 million to Nigeria through the Global Programme on Reproductive Health Commodity Security.
The items were meant for distribution to the health facilities benefitting from the Midwives Service Scheme and SURE-P in 6 focal states namely Lagos, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Kaduna, Adamawa and Ebonyi States.
The commodities donated and received by the National Health Development Agency include, Magnesium Sulphate for managing Eclampsia in pregnancy (which is the cause of about 11% of maternal deaths), Oxytocin drugs for use of prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage (which accounts for about 23% of maternal deaths in Nigeria).
Other essential medicines being donated include Contraceptives, Antibiotics, and medical equipment such as Resuscitation tables, Midwifery kits, Abdominal Retractors, Autoclaves for sterilization of surgical equipment and Surgical gowns, all of which will help to enhance the quality of maternal health services.
These donations of medical equipment and essential medicines are in addition to investments by UNFPA and Canadian Government in capacity building and training of health providers to the tune of over US$4 million in 2013.
UNFPA Resident Representative, Ms Victoria Akyeampong had this to say about the donation, “Government and Development partners must continue to demonstrate the political will and invest more resources to increase access to maternal health services through evidence-based interventions. This is critical because the lives of our women and young girls depend on it!”.
Furthermore, she expressed hope that the distribution of the commodities at the community level will contribute to a paradigm shift towards the elimination of preventable causes of death and significant reduction in mortality among mothers, newborn and children.
The intervention is part the support from Government and Development Partners’ to scale up access to life-saving commodities that are necessary to accelerate reductions in maternal, neonatal and child mortality and morbidity and improve Nigeria’s health outcomes to enhance the achievement of the health related MDGs, particularly MDGs 4, 5 and 6.
UNFPA and UNH4+ continues to seize opportunities such as the Midwives Service Scheme of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to make reproductive health and rights a reality for Nigerian women and girls through improved access to effective methods of contraception, maternal health medicines and quality maternal health services.
Present at the ceremony were the Minister of Health represented by Dr Bose Adeniran, Director, Department of Planning, Research and Statistics, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr M.J Abdullahi, and Commissioner of Health, Lagos State, Dr Olajide Idris.
Other were the Resident Representative, Ms Victoria Akyeampong and the High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Mr. Perry J Calderwood.
