By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The World Health Organisation, WHO,on Monday, raised alarm over the high ratio of maternal and neonatal mortality, in Nigeria.WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Molumbo, stated this at the 2025 Walk the Talk.”, in commemoration of World Health Day, WHD, in Abuja.

The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘“Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,”He said, it is imperative for all hands to be on desk in order to accelerate reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality. He added that the walk is to create awareness on the theme for this year, with healthy beginnings and a brighter future, to remind the world of the need to address the unacceptable high maternal, neonatal mortality.According to him, “Every year on the 7th of April we celebrate this day to remember the day WHO, was created by Member States. And this walk is really about raising awareness on the theme for this year, with healthy beginnings and a brighter future, to remind the world of the need to address the unacceptable high maternal, neonatal mortality. But also, it’s an opportunity to raise awareness on the need to remain active and physically active to maintain our health”.On the latest data on maternal and neonatal, he said, “And the latest one was just published, and I think the Ministry of Health is in a better place to give the figures. But we know from the previous Nigeria Demographic Health Survey, numbers in terms of maternal and neonatal mortality ratio were quite high. And this is why WHO has been working round the clock with the government and partners to accelerate reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality.”And this has been enshrined in the new initiative that was launched by the Ministry of Health and Public Social Welfare, the MAMI, the Initiative to Accelerate Reduction in Mortality of Mothers and Newborns. So, has this improved since the beginning of that initiative? The initiative was launched recently, and it’s meant to accelerate reduction. We are all committed, partners, the government, civil society organizations, and communities to work together to reduce those numbers as fast as we can. “Yes, like I said before, the MAMI initiative has been recently launched to accelerate improvement in maternal, child, and neonatal health. And the WHO continues to work alongside the government to improve guidelines and strategies and to work alongside health care workers to make sure that those improvements that we are expecting actually materialize. It’s everybody’s duty, if I might say.”It’s not about them and us. It’s about all of us together toward achieving that goal by 2030”. Molumbo, therefore assured that WHO would continue work with the three tiers of government, with a sense of urgency to address the challenges. Meanwhile, in a press statement issued in commemoration of World Health Day, WHO, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, said, the African region has made progress in lowering maternal mortality since 2000 but needs a 12-fold increase in the annual reduction rate to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100 000 live births by 2030, new estimates by the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Interagency Group show.The statement reads, “Despite a 40% decline in maternal mortality, from 727 to 442 deaths per 100 000 live births between 2000 and 2023, the region still accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths. Each year, an estimated 178 000 mothers and 1 million newborns die in the Africa region – many from preventable causes.”At the current annual reduction rate of 2.2% between 2000 and 2023, the region is projected to have nearly 350 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births by 2030, five times higher than the SDG target of fewer than 70 deaths.”Likewise, although stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates have declined by 30% and 33% respectively between 2000 and 2023, sub-Saharan Africa still accounts for 47% of stillbirths and 46% of global newborn deaths. The region is projected to record neonatal mortality rate of about twice the SDG target of at least as low as 12 deaths per 1000 live births by 2030”. “In too many places, pregnancy and childbirth are still life-threatening events. “But it doesn’t have to be this way. Every dollar invested in maternal and newborn health delivers major returns: healthier families, stronger societies and sustainable economic growth.”