We’ve Leveraged Innovation, Collaboration To Reduce Maternal And Child Mortality – Abiodun

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, said leveraging innovation, collaboration, and data-driven strategies will drastically reduce and crash maternal and child mortality in the state.

The governor also stated that his administration has made significant investments to strengthen the healthcare system, with a budgetary allocation of 13% to the sector in 2025, adding that Ogun currently has an overall maternal mortality rate of 194 per 100,000, compared to over 500 per 100,000 nationally.

Prince Abiodun, who made this known during the Ogun State Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMII) Co-Creation 5-day Workshop held at the DMA Hall, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State, added that the deployment of electronic medical records across the primary, secondary, and tertiary facilities in the state has helped ensure better coordination of care, improved patient outcomes, and enhanced data-driven decision-making.

Represented by his Deputy, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, Prince Abiodun also stated that his administration has made maternal and child health a top priority under its social welfare and well-being pillar (ISEYA).

“We have strengthened our health financing mechanisms through the Ogun State Health Insurance Agency, including the formal and informal sector schemes, especially the Ibi-Dero conditional cash transfer program, which provides financial support to vulnerable pregnant women to access quality maternal care.

“This strategic intervention is geared towards strengthening our healthcare system, improving infrastructure, expanding human resources, enhancing service delivery, and ensuring sustainable health financing.

“A 13% budget allocation to the health sector in 2025, which is embedded in the annual operational plan, underscores our commitment to improving healthcare infrastructure, human resources, and service delivery,” he said.

The governor said that his administration has revitalized primary healthcare centers to ensure quality healthcare services are available at the grassroots where they are needed most, adding that 472 community health extension workers have been employed and an additional 400 allied health staff have been confirmed to boost healthcare delivery in the state.

He noted that his administration, in December last year, launched the Ogun State Drug and Health Commodities Management Agency (OGDHMA) with the task of ensuring the availability, affordability, and equitable distribution of essential medicines and health commodities in the state, in addition to the provision of about 80 tricycle ambulances across all 20 local government areas of the state.

He added that a free maternal transport service is currently being piloted in a local government to ensure timely access to life-saving care.

In his remarks, Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, disclosed that about 774 facilities that will serve as primary and secondary healthcare centers have been identified for the healthcare sector across the country.

According to the Minister, the facilities are also being expanded by the Nigeria Health Insurance Scheme (NHIA) so they can provide free treatment for emergencies related to certain complications.

The Minister also noted that educating mothers regarding their health is important, adding that the federal government has diverted a lot of funds to upgrade the emergency ambulance scheme in the country.

“The education of our mothers also matters; their nutritional status matters. Maternal anemia is a strong predictor of maternal complications and death. Addressing these requires a multi-sectoral lens.

“The emergency ambulance scheme is also part of that because if a woman is not able to come to a facility, that can be a major issue.

“There resources have been identified, and for eligible women who go to those facilities, they can be treated when they have emergency complications requiring cesarean sections or other interventions, and they will be reimbursed, so we take away the cost barrier to access,” he said.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, noted that the program was meant to ensure that no woman dies while giving birth in the state, adding that the initiative will help strengthen the health sector infrastructure and also ensure equitable access to life-saving interventions for mothers and their newborns.

While speaking on the objectives of the project, the program coordinator of the Ogun State Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMII), Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, said that it is important for the health sector to be innovative in reducing the mortality rate, adding that a contract was recently signed between the federal government, state governments, and partners to ensure that maternal mortality is tackled with one voice, one plan, and one budget.