By Folasade Akpan

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to achieve a modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) of 27 per cent by 2024.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Daju Kachollom, made the commitment on Wednesday at the opening of a 2-day annual national Pause and Reflect (P and R) Moment meeting.

The meeting, which was organised by the Society for Family Health’s (SFH) Adolescent 360 (A360-Amplify) programme, had the theme: “Consolidating the Gains of Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) Programming in Nigeria.”

Kachollom, who was represented by the Director, Family Health, Dr Stella Nwosu, said that the commitment was not merely a target but a promise to the nation’s youth.

“It is a promise to empower them with the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

“The current phase of A360-Amplify programme has placed a strong emphasis on Human-Centered Design (HCD) and integration into government health and development systems.

“This strategic shift is driven by our collective recognition that lasting impact and sustainability can only be achieved through the seamless integration of ASRH services into our healthcare landscape.

“We are not merely creating solutions; we are transforming systems,’’ she added.

According to Kachollom, collaboration with state governments have been instrumental in achieving the results recorded so far.

She noted that each state had developed a roadmap that not only outlined adaptation and standardisation plans, but also held the government accountable for its commitments.

“The P and R Moment, which we have been convening since 2021, serves as a critical checkpoint for assessing our progress, refining our strategies and building the political will necessary to overcome the challenges of ASRH programming.

“As we gather here today, we must recognise that the A360-Amplify programme will end by 2025, I call on states to begin to brainstorm on innovative approaches to sustain the programme.

“The importance of our work extends far beyond the lifespan of A360. The delivery of our commitments to adaptation is pivotal to achieving our institutionalisation and sustainability,” the director said.

She added that it was the duty of all the stakeholders to ensure that the gains achieved so far are not short-lived but became an enduring legacy that future generations could build upon.

The Managing Director, Society for Family Health (SFH), Dr Omokhudu Idogho, said that over the years, SFH in close partnership with government and partners had pushed forward to advance gender equality and further the empowerment of women and girls.

Represented by Dr Jennifer Anyanti, the Deputy Managing Director, Strategy and Technical, Idogho said that this had helped towards increasing the chances of meeting the SDGs related to health, nutrition, education, gender equality and even food security.

Idogho said that the project had achieved key milestones by supporting an expansion of youth-focused service delivery working to attain at least 70 per cent of Primary Health Care (PHC) coverage in focal states.

“Relatedly, A360 has supported in strengthening human capacity for health through training of 1,264 providers on Youth-Friendly Health Services, contraceptive technology and Counselling for Choice; 1,006 mobilisers, 539 male Inter Personal Communication Agents and 439 female mentors.

“These combined efforts resulted in more than 370,000 taking up modern contraceptives for the first time.

“The project continues to strive toward human capital development for adolescent girls and has improved human capital outcomes among 58,000 girls.”

The Project Director, Ms Roseyln Odeh, said that the meeting served as a critical checkpoint for assessing progress made, refining strategies for greater effectiveness and building the political will necessary to overcome the challenges of ASRH programming.

She added that it would also help in achieving institutionalisation and sustainability.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event provided an opportunity for partners and key stakeholders from both government and non-governmental organisations to brainstorm on innovative approaches to sustain the programme.

It also aims to explore strategic ways for sustainability to extend far beyond the lifespan of A360. (NAN)

Edited by Fatima Sule Abdullahi/Oluyinka Fadare

By Justina Auta

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has called for urgent action in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets, especially in reducing maternal and child mortality.

The foundation made the call in a statement on Wednesday, signed by the co-Chairs, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gate, after its seventh annual Goalkeepers Report.

The report said the world has collectively fallen short at the halfway point in achieving the United Nations SDGs.

It said that innovation and investment could fuel progress, particularly in ending global epidemic of maternal and child mortality.

The foundation highlighted new data that showed the potential of scaling up global access to seven innovations and practices that could address the leading causes of maternal and newborn deaths.

“By making new innovations accessible to those who need them most, two million additional lives can be saved by 2030 and 6.4 million lives by 2040.

“That’s two million families spared an unimaginable heartbreak and two million more people who can shape and enrich our world,’’ the reports said.

It noted that since 2016, progress in reducing global maternal mortality has stalled, adding that death rates in some countries, including the U.S have risen steadily.

” Though deaths of children under five have continued to decline since the mid-2010s, the first month of a newborn’s life continues to be the most dangerous, accounting for almost half of all under five deaths today.

“An estimated 74 per cent of child deaths happen during a baby’s first year,’’ it said.

In respective essays, French Gates and Gates acknowledged the global efforts between 2000 and 2015 that significantly improved the health of mothers and babies but pointed out that progress had stalled since COVID-19 pandemic.

They explained how the discovery of revolutionary information about maternal and child health in the last 10 years led to low-cost and easy-to implement innovations and practices.

According to them, these revolutionary information can prevent and treat deadly childbirth complications such as postpartum hemorrhaging, infections and maternal anemia.

They, therefore, called for immediate action to help put the world back on track to achieve the global goal of cutting the maternal mortality rate to less than 70 out of 100,000 births and newborn mortality to12 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030.

“As is so often the case in global health, innovations aren’t making their way to the people who need them most like women in low-income countries.

“As well as black and indigenous women in high-income countries like the U.S, who are dying at three times the rate of white women. That needs to change.

“We have seen over and over again that when countries actually prioritise and invest in women’s heath, they unleash a powerful engine for progress that can reduce poverty, advance gender equality and build resilient economies.

“Over the past decade, the field of child health has advanced faster and farther than I thought I’d see in my lifetime.

“If our delivery can keep pace with our learning; if researchers can continue developing new innovations and skilled health workers can get them to every mother and child who needs them; then more babies will survive those crucial first days,’’ they said.

The report suggested life-saving innovations and practices that could be delivered by midwives and birth attendants in communities, such as interventions capable of reducing hemorrhage, probiotics and multiple micronutrient supplements for infants and babies.

Others are a new one-time infusion of IV iron for women that replenishes iron, antenatal corticosteroids, Azithromycin and AI-enabled portable ultrasound that empowers nurses and midwives to monitor high-risk pregnancies. (NAN)

Edited by Chinyere Bassey/Maharazu Ahmed