No mother’s death is acceptable, says UNICEF

By Idris Ayinde

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says no mother across the globe deserves to lose her life before, during pregnancy and postnatal periods.

Dr Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF’s Chief of Bauchi Field Office stated this in Gombe during a media dialogue on ‘Strengthening Primary Health care system: Gavi-UNICEF Primary Health Care Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian government.

She said that is why UNICEF could not compromise on any mother’s health, hence the massive strengthening of health facilities under the Gavi Vaccine Alliance’s PHC MoU especially in Gombe and Taraba states.

According to her, this is evident in the improved availability of skilled birth attendants especially at the apex Primary Health Care facilities following the recruitment of 440 health workers particularly in Gombe state alone.

Rafique explained that UNICEF had been going to the nooks and ccrannies of communities to reach out to those people who are resistant and don’t believe in vaccination as well as make use of health facilities to sensitize them on the importance of health care services.

The UNICEF boss, who revealed that a lot of mothers die because they don’t get the appropriate medical health care necessary, said “this is a crisis for us. It is an emergency thing that must be addressed.

“We can reach every child and every mother. If we can’t save mothers and children, then what are we doing?

“No mother’s death is acceptable and we can’t compromise on any mother’s health. Zero child, zero mother’s death is achievable and this is why we must reach them, prevent diseases and save them.

“There should be no child that we have not reached through their mothers and that is why health care systems are being strengthened to reach every child and mother”.

Rafique, who highlighted poverty, low awareness among others as major causes of child death, called on all stakeholders to support UNICEF in the campaign and spread the message.

She also urged both the Gombe and Taraba state governments to integrate all the health workers engaged through the Gavi Vaccine Alliance-UNICEF Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) into their state’s civil service to enhance effective and efficient healthcare service delivery.

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