Nigeria needs to increase its efforts to reduce the mortality rate below 5 in nine times to meet the objective of development of sustainable development (SDG) 3.2 of the United Nations by 2030, according to the United Nations Fund for the United Nations (UNICEF).
Currently, Nigeria's annual reduction rate for mortality below 5 is only 1.8%, which is insufficient to achieve the SDG objective.
UNICEF has indicated that Nigeria must accelerate this reduction to 16.5% per year. Achieving this significant increase will require a dedicated government collaboration, medical care providers and other interested parties.
UNICEF, MNCAH and HIV Health Manager Martin Dohlsten, while revealed in his presentation in a two -day dialogue in the media and an excursion on neonatal health care, childhood diseases and RM vaccination in Port Harcourt, according to only half of women in Nigeria deliver with the assistance of qualified assistants, however, the data of the state significant sponsorship.
Dohlsten also explained that Nigeria's high mortality rate was due to these statistics, and added that there was a relationship between the number of women treated by professionals during the child's birth and the child's survival rate.
He pointed out that 32% of children born in Nigeria die between day 1 to 28 of their life because they were born prematurely or birth suffocation.
He also said that 79% of the deaths from newborns were due to infections, prematurity and suffocation, and added that progress in neonatal health care would be achieved if the government focuses on them.
This blamed the lack of stable electricity, running water, qualified parratas, a solid reference system and lack of clinical guidelines for maternal and newborn care.
In addition, UNICEF health specialist, Dr. Abe Eghe, said UNICEF has been defending vaccination campaigns throughout the country to reduce the number of children die from preventable diseases of vaccines:
“For UNICEF, what we try to do for the state of Rivers is to support both routine immunization, intensification of routine immunization, support with complementary immunization and ensure that states have adequate resources.
“Last year, River State received the support of making a measles campaign, and could obtain up to 78% of the target coverage. And also, in progress this is that we are also supporting them with a great recovery campaign, where we are trying to see that these children lost during the Covid era they immunized, “he said.
Also speaking during a journalist field tour of the Model Primary Health Center located in AKPAJO – ELEME, the state of Rivers, the Chief Medical Director of the Hospitals Management Board of the State of Rivers. Dr. Bright Ogbondah said that UNICEF has built and equipped the neonatal health unit at the Eleme General Hospital, as well as a helped to the State to provide oxygen plants.
The visit to the service made as part of the UNICEF Media dialogue held in Port Harcourt, the capital of the state of Rivers, allowed journalists to inspect hospital facilities and also interact with patients and health workers.
Ogbondah, which is in charge of the operations at the medical oxygen plant located in NCH in Eleme, explained the impact of the oxygen plant saying that it has been of great help in the treatment of critical diseases, especially the complications derived from the birth of the child.
“The oxygen plant has traveled a long way to relieve the difficult situation of people when it comes to the issue of medical emergencies,” he said.
Ogbondah said that the initiative to establish the oxygen plant occurred during the Covid-19 outbreak and a desperate demand for oxygen fans to take care of emergency cases at the isolation center located within the Eleme General Hospital.
He pointed out that with the slowdown of COVID-19 cases, the oxygen plant has focused its attention on providing medical oxygen to hospitals within the area, including the newly established neonatal health center.
By observing journalists that there were few numbers of children and other patients in the neonatal center, the medical director, Dr. Leechi Okere, said that the clinic was recently opened for operations, so people are not yet fully aware of their services.
Previously at the AkPajo Primary Medical Care Center in the Local Government area Eleme of the State of Rivers, the Director, Public Health and the Control of Diseases in the State, Dr. Ndubisi AKPAH said that collaboration between the State and UNICEF has caused a great improvement in the provision of medical care in the communities in the communities of the communities
For example, he explained that the Health Center recently handled a critical case of a baby with mild birth suffocation with the help of the oxygen concentrator and the recovered child.
He said before now such cases would have been sent to another installation that most of the time are private medical facilities at a great cost for parents.
For his part, the head of the Unicef ​​field office, Dr. Anslem Otobo Audu, requested more investment in facilities to improve children's medical care, especially the newborn.
He said that this can be done by providing more funds for the improvement of primary medical care centers.
Audu said that neonatal health and childhood disease diseases have remained pressing challenges in Nigeria, where too many children still face debilitating deaths and health problems that could otherwise be prevented.
He said that although the country has witnessed remarkable progress in maternal and child health, the government must continue to implement interventions that guarantee that each child receives the medical care they deserve from the moment they are born.
“It is crucial that we strengthen our medical care systems, increase access to quality services and create awareness about the importance of early and continuous climate for children.” Said.