By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister for Health & Social Welfare, on Wednesday, revealed that his Ministry has been able to identified about 174 Local Government Areas, LGAs, in Nigeria, that have about 50% of maternal mortality burdens .According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, in 2020, Nigeria mortality rate was 1047 deaths per 100 000 live births.

Nigeria is ranked third in the world for maternal mortality. He revealed this at the 2024 Joint Annual Health Review, organized by Ministry of Health, in Abuja.He said not only have they been able to identify them, they have put machinery in place to address the challenges, his ministry has already launched Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Investment Initiative.He added that there has been a reduction of 16.7% reduction in under-five mortality between 2018 and 2023.According to the Minister, “Our commitment to improving population health outcomes has shown tangible results. Data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) reveals a 16.7% reduction in under-five mortality between 2018 and 2023. “We have also recorded a 40% reduction in diarrheal diseases, a 24% reduction in tuberculosis, and a 12% reduction in HIV prevalence. These achievements underscore the impact of our collective efforts.”Despite the challenges that persist, Nigeria is moving in the right direction. Seventeen states have shown marked improvement in modern contraceptive usage, with six states doubling their efforts. I am pleased to acknowledge that Imo State, represented here by His Excellency the Governor, is among the highest-performing states in contraceptive use and state health insurance coverage.”Following the Executive Order signed by Mr. President, at least 40 businesses have submitted business cases for investment in local manufacturing. Through our memorandum of understanding with Afreximbank, we have secured one billion dollars to boost healthcare financing. In parallel, we are making steady progress in health security.”Our survey findings show that about half of Nigerians have endorsed the trajectory of the health system under Mr. President’s leadership, with over half expressing confidence in the government’s capacity to manage health emergencies—an increase of 17% compared to 2023”.Pate lamented, “However, there remain areas where we must do better. While we have made strides in healthcare affordability and insurance coverage, more work is required to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable for all Nigerians. The DG of the National Health Insurance Authority is working tirelessly to enhance quality of care and user experience, and we recognize there is more to be done.”Routine immunization rates and the coverage of zero-dose children also need our urgent attention. The slight increase in immunization coverage between DHS cycles indicates we have to double our efforts.”Malnutrition and stunting rates remain high, which calls for renewed action and investment. These statistics represent real lives—families, communities, and children who rely on us to make these improvements.”In response to these findings, especially regarding high maternal mortality, we have identified 174 high-burden local governments across Nigeria responsible for 50% of maternal deaths. To address this, we have launched the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Investment Initiative. This initiative reflects our commitment to ending maternal mortality, and with our current momentum, I believe it is achievable”.He said, “The State of Health Report, while highlighting progress, also underscores challenges, particularly in data reliability and execution. We are committed to refining data sources and ensuring we have a single source of truth with high-quality information to guide our investments, both federally and at the state level. We will continue our Joint Annual Reviews and performance dialogues with the states, and I urge my colleagues in the Ministries of Finance and Budget to ensure sustained increases in domestic health sector funding into 2025.”I call upon all of us here to action. The task ahead is enormous, and it demands our collective efforts and genuine partnerships. Let us embrace a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, including our development partners, to help us build a healthier Nigeria”.Earlier in his opening remarks, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the Joint Annual Review (JAR), is a vital instrument for health sector stakeholders to assess program performance, evaluate resource distribution, and review outcomes or issues that need to be addressed to improve performance. According to the Minister of state, “As a critical accountability tool, we shall be using the JAR to promote multisectoral coordination and sets clear priorities for the upcoming year, ensuring that all stakeholders remain aligned with national health goals”We are gathered here for the next 3-days to design for ourselves context specific a platform for fostering accountability, enhancing collaboration, and driving progress for the implementation of the the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Initiative (NHSRII) “I say context specific, because we must focus on those critical indicators that are the window through which our health system is assessed such as mortality rates, disease incidences, services utilization rates, life expectancy at birth, health expenditure and so on. Importantly, the qualty of health care we provide and clients experiences when they access service must be a top priority as we work together to put them in the upward swing and deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda. “We are fortunate to have the preliminary findings of the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2023). I will encourage us to have a look at it in developing a baseline for the sector-wide approach. We should explore our current stimulus funding going directly to our primary health facilities such as the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and other health financing mechanisms to reduce maternal mortality.”In addition, the Human resource for health crisis and it’s emerging challenges should be given a thoughtful consideration as we agree on the baseline for the SWAP JAR towards attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals”.He also called for a multi-sectoral collaboration across MDAs, state governments, development partners, private sector in the spirit of health sector alignment and support to secure sustained health investments.