By Rabiu Sanusi
The National Coordinator of the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, on Saturday (yesterday) presented a co-creation intervention report to the Kano State government.
The report is the outcome of a five-day workshop aimed at designing a context-specific intervention suite for Kano State under the MAMII program. It focuses on various thematic areas, identifying actions needed at the community level to improve financial and physical access to healthcare facilities and eliminate maternal mortality.
Dr. Adeyanju emphasized that implementing the report’s recommendations and integrating them into the annual operational plan would help mobilize resources for timely intervention.
“This has to stop now—women are dying every minute, and this is not something the President or the Minister wants to continue happening,” he stated.
He commended the Kano State government for adopting the document, describing it as a major catalyst for reducing maternal mortality.
“They have pledged, in the presence of everyone, alongside development partners, to crash maternal deaths and ensure that pregnancy is never a death sentence in Kano State,” he added.
The National Coordinator of SWAP, Dr. Ashiru Adamu Abubakar, explained that to understand the core issues, the team gathered all available evidence, visited ten communities in Kano, and brought in experts from Bangladesh, the United States, and various organizations across Nigeria to collaborate with the Kano team.
“After five days, we have presented Kano State with a holistic document that defines the key problems and proposes innovative solutions to save the lives of women and children,” he stated.
Receiving the document, Kano State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf—represented by the Permanent Secretary, Pharmacist Aminu Bashir—pledged to implement the report’s recommendations.
“The workshop has enabled Kano State to dive deep into the root causes of high maternal mortality,” he noted.
He also emphasized that the Ministry of Health would collaborate with other ministries to upgrade access roads, recognizing that transportation barriers significantly contribute to maternal mortali
Meanwhile, development partners such as UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank, WHO, and NEMSAS, among others, pledged their commitment to the fight against maternal and child mortality in Kano State.