UNICEF, Kano partner to tackle maternal, child deaths

UNICEF and the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board have joined forces to address the state’s alarming maternal and child mortality crisis, targeting 18 local government areas spread across more than 200 wards.

Judith Leveillee, UNICEF’s chief of field operations and emergency in Nigeria, said the situation demanded urgent, coordinated intervention, citing statistics she described as a major public health emergency.

Leveillee spoke at a state-level training on the Maternal, Neonatal and Child Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative, organised by the board in collaboration with UNICEF.

She disclosed that only half of pregnant women in Kano receive care from skilled health providers, while a mere 36 per cent deliver with the assistance of trained birth attendants.

Under-five mortality in the state, she added, stands at 158 per 1,000 live births — a figure she said required sustained and well-coordinated response.

UNICEF, she said, is supporting the rollout of the initiative alongside the Community-Based Health Worker programme across all targeted wards. She commended the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Kano State Government for aligning with national health priorities.

The Director-General of the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Salisu Ahmad Ibrahim — represented by the Director of Family Health, Aliyu Zubair Maidutse — reaffirmed the board’s commitment to delivering quality, people-centred primary healthcare, saying adoption of the initiative would sharpen efficiency and responsiveness across the system.

Nana Sanda Abubakar, Director of Community Health Services at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, called for sustained collaboration, capacity building and strategic coordination to drive successful implementation, stressing that partnerships remain critical to improving health outcomes and broadening access to essential services in the state.