The Anambra State Government has renewed its efforts to reduce preventable maternal, perinatal and neonatal deaths through increased awareness, strengthened surveillance and improved healthcare responses.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, stated this during the inauguration of the State Maternal, Perinatal and Child Death Surveillance and Response (MPCDSR) Steering Committee in Awka.
Obidike said the state was committed to improving life expectancy and ensuring that women do not lose their lives during pregnancy or childbirth, stressing that the MPCDSR initiative was designed to identify preventable causes of death and facilitate appropriate interventions.
He called for increased awareness among women, families and communities on maternal and neonatal health, noting that early access to appropriate healthcare services could prevent complications and save lives.
According to him, the MPCDSR system would enable the state to identify the causes and circumstances surrounding maternal, perinatal and child deaths and use the findings to strengthen healthcare services and prevent similar occurrences.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Anambra State Ministry of Health, Dr Obiageli Uchebo, described the initiative as critical to improving maternal and child health outcomes in the state.
Uchebo called for greater use of evidence generated from health facilities and communities to identify gaps in service delivery and develop appropriate interventions.
She said the state would continue to strengthen maternal health services, including antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, referral services, blood banking and emergency response, while ensuring that lessons from maternal and child deaths were properly documented and translated into action.
Also speaking, the UNICEF representative in Anambra State, Mr Stan Osun, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting the state in improving maternal, newborn and child health.
Osun said UNICEF would document key issues and recommendations from the meeting and communicate them to its field office for appropriate follow-up.
The Desk Officer, Maternal, Perinatal and Child Death Surveillance and Response, Ikeanyionwu Ijeoma, explained that selected health facilities with high numbers of deliveries had been chosen to pilot the new strategy.
According to her, the selected facilities are expected to submit weekly reports to the state, with consolidated reports due on or before the 15th of every month. The reports will provide data for monitoring maternal and newborn health services and identifying areas requiring intervention.
She added that members of the State MPCDSR Steering Committee would meet quarterly to review reports from the selected facilities, identify gaps and make recommendations for appropriate responses.
Ijeoma noted that maternal health service utilisation, including skilled attendance at birth and antenatal care, was performing above the national average based on data presented at the meeting.
However, she said persistent neonatal mortality and discrepancies observed between District Health Information System (DHIS) and MPCDSR data highlighted the need to further strengthen the quality of newborn care and improve data systems.
She stressed that as implementation of the MPCDSR system progresses, improving maternal and newborn care, strengthening surveillance and response mechanisms, and enhancing accountability at facility and Local Government Area levels must remain key priorities.
Other development partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Achieving Health Nigeria Initiative (AHNi), also delivered goodwill messages and expressed support for efforts to strengthen the state’s maternal, perinatal and child death surveillance and response system.
The stakeholders reaffirmed the importance of sustained collaboration among government, healthcare workers, development partners and communities to translate surveillance findings into practical interventions capable of preventing avoidable maternal, perinatal and child deaths in Anambra State.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that the meeting was attended by health officials, development partners and other stakeholders.
