By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Federal Government has concluded plans to create a Decentralized Facility Financing (DFF) package that will target about 7 million pregnancies and over 6 million new births annually.
This is according to a post on the official X handle of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, @Fmohnigeria on Monday, April 22, 2024.
According to the post, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate announced the development at a press briefing earlier today to commemorate the 2024 Safe Motherhood week.
The ministry explained that the development was in line with its desire to prioritise basic and quality healthcare for women before, during and after childbirth to reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality using the Sector Wide Approach (SWAP).
Pate who lamented the continued increase in loss of lives to preventable complications during pregnancy such as postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), birth asphyxia and other birth complications said that these challenges had become a call to action for governments around the globe.
He explained that it was for this reason the government through the Ministry was working tirelessly to put structures and policies in place that allow for every pregnant Nigerian woman at all levels to have access to the pillars of Safe Motherhood including full antenatal, skilled, and safe facility-based delivery, respectful maternity care, post-natal care integrated with family planning especially postpartum and post-abortion family planning.
He announced that to further achieve the goal of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality reduction, the ministry in line with best practices was launching the National Labour Care Guide, National Guidelines for community use of Misoprostol for the Prevention and Treatment of postpartum hemorrhage and the Calibrated drape to measure postpartum hemorrhage.
While thanking partners and stakeholders for their unflinching support, the Minister noted that saving mothers and improving maternal and newborn indices required not just technical efforts but social efforts as well.
He went on to urge all stakeholders, particularly the media to collaborate and extend more support to raise awareness and educate the Nigerian public.
The National Safe Motherhood Day is an annual event marked on the 11th of April to create awareness and generate public dialogue on the best strategies and interventions that promote maternal and new-born health and survival within an integrated continuum of care.
This year’s theme: “Investing in maternal health for a sustainable future,” with the slogan “Mother Lives, Child Thrives” calls on all stakeholders to work together to ensure that no woman dies from pregnancy and childbirth related conditions. Also to ensure that every newborn is protected and assisted to thrive into healthy childhood.
