AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, has called for holistic approach and collective action to tackle maternal mortality in Nigeria.
Pate who spoke at a ministerial press briefing in Abuja to mark the 2025 Safe Motherhood Day, urged state governments, traditional leaders, healthcare workers, and individuals to join forces in the fight to save women’s lives during childbirth.
He stressed that every maternal death is a profound tragedy, an irreplaceable loss to families and communities. “It may be just one statistic, but to that family, it’s 100%. That mother is irreplaceable,” he said.
The minister, as part of the efforts to fight maternal mortality, at the event, officially launched several critical documents such as National Training Manual for Doctors on the Management of Obstetric Fistula, National Guideline for the Management of Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia, National Safe Motherhood Strategy (2024–2028), Essential Gynaecological Skills (EGS) Facilitator Manual and RMNCAEH+N Quality of Care Strategy, Guidelines for the Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH).
He said the documents were to standardize care, improve clinical competencies, and enhance maternal health services nationwide.
Pate urged families, especially husbands to ensure pregnant women receive adequate nutrition, antenatal care, and safe delivery services.
He said “Government alone cannot reach every household. Everyone across the chain from transporters to health workers must be involved”.
Stating government’s efforts, the minister informed that 160,000 frontline health workers have been trained, surpassing a target of 120,000. He also detailed investments in: Primary healthcare expansion, maternal health commodities, including treatments for postpartum hemorrhage, the ResSmart ambulance system and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) initiatives to support maternal care
Pate further noted the role of grassroots engagement: “That’s why we’re involving traditional leaders, civil society organizations, and the media. We need a societal consensus that the lives of our women and children matter.”
The minister spotlighted the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative as a transformative step toward systemic reform. Key achievements under this initiative, he said include: Strengthening of Primary Health Care (PHC) services, expansion of skilled birth attendants in underserved areas, Nationwide scaling of free Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC), implementation of free obstetric fistula repair programs in 15 facilities and expansion of health insurance coverage.
He said: “These reforms are already producing results. We are beginning to see improved maternal and newborn health indicators in several states”.
According to the Minister, “Safe Motherhood is not just a health agenda, it is a moral imperative and a critical measure of our national development. Today, we commit that no woman will die giving life and no child will be born into preventable suffering.”
Earlier, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Daju Kachollom, represented by Dr. Binyere Ukaire, Director of Family Health emphasized that maternal mortality is a personal tragedy for families and a reflection of health system failures.
She said, our slogan, ‘Care for Moms, Hope for the Babies,’ is a call to action. Caring for mothers builds healthier generations”.
On his part, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, commended Nigeria’s commitment to maternal health despite global geopolitical challenges.
He said, “Health is not a privilege, it is a human right. Nigeria is showing leadership by investing in maternal and newborn care, especially in hard-to-reach areas”,.
The WHO representative noted the need for continued investment, legal protection of women’s health rights, and strengthening accountability mechanisms. “Together, we can ensure that every Nigerian mother and child has a safe and hopeful start to life.”
