Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, on Thursday decried the scarcity of qualified medical personnel describing it as a major contributor to the high rate of  child and maternal mortality in Nigeria

Oborevwori said this during  the flag -off of  first round of  2023 Maternal and Newborn Health week in Asaba, the state capital.

Oborevwori said the situation is aggravated by health system gaps, challenges, low quality care, inadequate utilisation of available health facilities and lack of access to essential medicines among others.

Oborevwori said that providing accessible and affordable healthcare for mothers, newborns and children were critical to any effective and sustainable primary healthcare policy.

He said that successive administrations in the state had provided free healthcare for pregnant women and children under the age of five  years in recognition of the importance that was attached to their survival and well-being.

Oborevwori assured that his administration would continue the free healthcare and  improve Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) services in the state.

According to him, available data show that maternal and newborn mortality rates in Nigeria are among the highest globally.

“In fact, in 2015, Nigeria overtook India as the country with the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world.

“Yet Nigeria’s population is less than one-fifth of that of India. That tells you the magnitude of the problem on our hands,” he said.

Oborevwori also said that  poor nutrition, complex pregnancy-related illnesses and high cost of out-of pocket expenses at the point of service were part of the challenges of the sector.

”To meet the global targets in maternal, newborn and child health services require the participation of all, not just the government.

“The Delta State government will continue to do its best to improve health infrastructure across the state and expand the health insurance scheme to capture more people in the informal sector.

“Furthermore, we shall continue to implement policies and programmes that will create wealth for our people, so that they can invest in quality nutrition,” he said.

The governor called for the involvement and cooperation of womenfolk to embrace and practice healthy social habits that improve women’s health, such as breastfeeding, regular physical exercises and abstinence from illicit drugs.

He charged the people of the state to take advantage of the week-long programme to receive basic primary healthcare services at various locations close to their homes and offices.

“Mothers and caregivers should endeavour to bring out their newborns and under-5 children to the Primary Health Centres and other outreach facilities to avail themselves of the health services.

“We need to embrace these promotional and preventive health services to avoid unnecessary medical complications, health emergencies and avoidable deaths,” Oborevwori said.

He called for the support of Local Government Council Chairmen, royal fathers, religious and opinion leaders in the engagement and mobilisation of their subjects and followers to participate in this exercise.

Oborevwori commended various partners in the health sector who had always collaborated with the state government in its march to achieving the Universal Health Coverage mandate of the United Nations (UN).

On his part, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Dr Philomena Okeowo,  said the goal of the MNCH week  was to improve the health status of women and children by increasing the coverage of key interventions.

She said that the state had made considerable progress over the years with Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) dropping from significantly below 200/100,000 live births and Child Mortality Ratio CMR reduced to 53/1000 live births.

In her goodwill message, Delta State World Bank Co-ordinator, Dr Faith Ireye, commended the state government for its commitment to mother and child survival.

Ireye said the commitment is shown in the implementation of Primary Health Care services in the state.

She said Delta witnessed a reduction in the outbreak of maternal and childhood killer diseases.

“Worthy of note is the significant reduction in the incidences of measles; there was 82 per cent reduction in laboratory confirmed measles cases in the state in 2023 when compared with same period in 2022,” Ireye said.