The Federal Government has credited recent investments in maternal healthcare for a sharp decline in deaths among pregnant women receiving treatment in facilities supported under its health intervention programmes.
Speaking in Abuja during the third Nigeria Health Sector Joint Annual Review, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said maternal deaths in communities covered by the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) dropped by about 60 per cent between 2024 and 2026.
According to the minister, the improvement followed efforts to expand access to skilled birth attendants, strengthen emergency referral systems and improve the capacity of healthcare facilities serving pregnant women.
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The government said nearly 20,000 skilled birth attendants have been recruited across 22 states, while more than 78,000 frontline health workers have received training aimed at improving maternal and newborn healthcare services.
Officials also reported significant progress in staffing health facilities. About 91 per cent of facilities supported by the Basic Health Care Provision Fund in MAMII intervention areas now have at least two midwives or community health extension workers, compared with just 12 per cent when the programme began.
For many women, especially those in underserved communities, the reforms have translated into quicker access to care during pregnancy and childbirth. The government said 99 per cent of supported facilities are now connected to emergency referral systems, while approximately 750,000 pregnant women have been identified and linked to functioning health facilities.
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Emergency transport services have also expanded, operating in 171 out of the programme’s 172 local government areas and helping more than 104,000 women and newborns reach medical facilities when urgent care was needed.
Beyond reducing maternal fatalities, the government reported gains in emergency obstetric care. Nearly 100,000 free emergency obstetric and newborn health services have been provided over the past two years, including more than 80,000 caesarean sections and over 6,000 vesicovaginal fistula repairs. Deaths linked to obstetric emergencies in participating facilities have fallen by 22 per cent, according to official figures.
Additional data presented at the review showed that maternal case fatality rates in 8,309 facilities supported under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund declined from 80.5 in 2024 to 31.9 by September 2026, surpassing the government’s initial target of a 30 per cent reduction.
Health officials described the results as evidence that targeted investments in healthcare financing, trained personnel and emergency response systems can save lives. However, they acknowledged that maternal and newborn mortality remains a major challenge in Nigeria and stressed the need to sustain the reforms.
While celebrating the reported progress, the government said continued funding, stronger referral networks and wider access to quality healthcare will be essential to ensure that more Nigerian women experience safe pregnancies and childbirth.
