Stakeholders demand sustainable maternal care as Nigeria begins MAMII in Ogun, Bauchi
By Abujah Racheal
Stakeholders have called for sustainable healthcare solutions as Nigeria launches the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) Implementation Design in Ogun and Bauchi States to combat maternal and neonatal mortality.
The stakeholders made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
NAN reports that the Federal Government, through MAMII, aims to strengthen healthcare financing, leverage digital health solutions and enhance community participation to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.
MAMII is designed to address the five critical delays contributing to maternal deaths.
These include delay in seeking medical care and delay in reaching a health facility.
Others are delay in receiving adequate care, delay in taking responsibility for mortality reviews and delay in coordination.
The MAMII Implementation Design Workshop recently took place in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with Bauchi State set to commence its implementation phase.
The stakeholders said that MAMII presented an opportunity to transform maternal and neonatal health.
They said that achieving long-term impact would require political will, sustained funding, healthcare workforce capacity-building and continuous community engagement.
Dr Abigail Banji, a Health Economist, stressed the need for strong government commitment to avoid the pitfalls of past health interventions.
“MAMII must not become another short-lived intervention.
“It requires strong political commitment, adequate funding, and coordinated efforts across all levels of government to make a real difference,” Banji said.
Mrs Chika Offor, CEO of the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC), highlighted the importance of health financing to ensure accessibility and affordability of maternal care.
“Sustainable funding is key. Ogun’s Ibi-Dero conditional cash transfer programme is a great model.
“Other states should invest in health insurance to ensure pregnant women access quality care without financial hardship,” she said.
She said that Ogun State had deployed electronic medical records across primary, secondary, and tertiary facilities to improve care coordination and patient outcomes.
She also commended the Ibi-Dero conditional cash transfer programme, which provides financial support to vulnerable pregnant women, ensuring access to quality maternal care.
In Bauchi State, where rural inaccessibility and low antenatal care attendance are major challenges, the state government has pledged to strengthen community health programmes and expand skilled birth attendance.
According to Bauchi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Sani Dambam, efforts will focus on training more midwives.
Dambam said that there would also be a focus on increasing emergency obstetric care services, and integrating traditional birth attendants into formal healthcare structures.
“To reduce maternal deaths, we must bridge gaps between rural communities and healthcare facilities. This requires community engagement and sustainable health financing,” he said.
Mrs Grace Adeyemi, a community health worker, emphasised the importance of training and equipping frontline workers.
“We need more midwives and functional health centres.
“Many women die because of avoidable delays in receiving care,” she said.
Despite the optimism, she cautioned that without sustained funding, workforce training, and strong monitoring frameworks, MAMII may not achieve its full potential.
Development partners, including the World Bank, UNICEF, and UNFPA, have pledged technical and financial support for the initiative.
Mrs Mercy Adejo, Founder of Women Strengthening Women in Nigeria, said that MAMII was a game-changer.
Adejo, however, called for community ownership, proper workforce training, and accountability at all levels.
She stressed the need for domestic resource mobilisation to sustain MAMII beyond donor funding.
She said that as implementation moved forward, the success of MAMII would depend on its ability to deliver long-term measurable improvements in maternal and neonatal health across Nigeria. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman
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