Kano targets zero maternal deaths after halving mortality rate

The Kano State Government has set a four-year target to eliminate maternal mortality after recording a 50 per cent reduction in maternal deaths over the past 18 months.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran, disclosed this on Tuesday during the learning and dissemination meeting of the Accelerating the Expanded Adoption of RMNCH Innovations and Health Reforms in Kano State project.

The meeting was organised by West and Central Africa Health Options (WCAHO) with support from Technical Advice Connect.

Labaran said maternal mortality in the state had dropped from 1,206 cases to 570 through a series of healthcare interventions, including the introduction of the E-MOTIVE initiative and other maternal health innovations.

According to him, the government is determined to sustain the progress and achieve zero maternal deaths within the next three to four years.

“We have reduced maternal mortality by about 50 per cent within a short period, and our target is to reduce it by another 25 to 30 per cent over the next 18 months before ultimately achieving zero maternal mortality,” he said.

The commissioner disclosed that the state had procured 484 ambulances for deployment to 484 primary healthcare centres to improve emergency transportation for pregnant women.

He added that Governor Abba Yusuf had also approved the expansion of free maternal healthcare commodities to women accessing delivery services in the state’s primary health facilities.

Labaran noted that innovations such as the E-MOTIVE programme and the use of calibrated medical devices had significantly improved the management of childbirth complications and reduced preventable maternal deaths.

Chief Executive Officer of West and Central Africa Health Options, Ufuoma Omo-Obi, said the organisation had introduced innovative maternal healthcare interventions across primary and tertiary health facilities in Kano to improve pregnancy outcomes.

She revealed that more than 14,000 safe deliveries had been recorded through the programme, with about 4,500 occurring within the last four months alone.

According to her, 507 women who developed postpartum haemorrhage were successfully treated, preventing deaths that might otherwise have occurred.

Omo-Obi added that the programme is currently training 800 health workers and strengthening the capacity of skilled birth attendants to improve maternal and newborn healthcare services across the state.