Moving on, the Federal Government on Monday launched guidelines on safe motherhood, targeting at least seven million pregnant women, and at least six million newborn births annually.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate while speaking at the launch of the guidelines to commemorate the 2024 Safe Motherhood Day in Abuja, noted that it is possible to achieve safe motherhood in the country.
The minister who also launched the calibrated drape noted that the introduction of the drape is an effective tool in significantly reducing postpartum haemorrhage by accurately measuring blood loss during childbirth, thus leading to early detection.
Safe motherhood is to improve the life expectancy and quality of life of Nigerian women through the provision of quality maternal and newborn services while ensuring safety through properly supervised pregnancy, skilled attendance at birth, and post-delivery care at all levels of the healthcare delivery system, thereby reducing maternal mortality and morbidity.
Prof Pate said, “Safe motherhood can be achieved when every pregnant receives all the pillars of safe motherhood, full antenatal care, skilled and facility-based delivery, quality in the care that she receives at the facility, integrated postnatal care, including family planning, especially postpartum family planning and post-abortion family planning dealing with all the underlying causes of maternal mortality, and ensuring that every newborn is protected and supported to thrive.
“Nigeria has a large burden of preventable maternal deaths, and we also have a large burden of newborn mortality. We have made progress, but it is not enough. Every death of a mother is an unfortunate incident. No level of maternal mortality is acceptable.
“Despite the progress that we have seen, postpartum haemorrhage remains a very important cause of maternal mortality and newborn mortality, asphyxia, and complications of preterm. We have to ensure that all women in Nigeria have access to quality maternal care, irrespective of where you come from, so that we don’t leave any woman behind.”
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