The Federal Government has sounded the alarm regarding the distressing rates of maternal and infant mortality in Sokoto State, revealing that a staggering 44 out of every 100 newborn babies in the state do not survive.


In response to this alarming statistic, the government is calling for urgent attention and the implementation of locally tailored solutions to address the crisis.


The call for action came during a recent courtesy visit by Salma Ibrahim, the Special Adviser in charge of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Health, to Governor Ahmed Aliyu. Ibrahim, in her briefing, highlighted the dire situation in Sokoto State, which continues to grapple with the highest burden of maternal and infant deaths across the nation.


Drawing from data obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey conducted in 2018, Ibrahim emphasized the severity of the issue, pointing out that the mortality rate among newborns in Sokoto State surpasses the national average by a significant margin.


She underscored the urgency of the matter, citing that the lack of access to antenatal care among pregnant women, with a staggering 73 percent opting out for reasons best known to them, exacerbates the problem.


Furthermore, Ibrahim shed light on the concerning trend of a low percentage of women opting for skilled birth attendants during delivery, further jeopardizing maternal and infant health outcomes.



Read More: https://naijaupdate.ng/44-out-of-100-newborns-die-in-sokoto-federal-government/

Damn this news is terrifying.
The death of one former governor's daughter who died during child birth comes to mind.

I think the state government can do better.
1. Employ more health professionals
2. Better conditions of service and welfare should be priority when employing these professionals.
3 Encourage science in secondary schools and provide scholarship to those willing to venture into medical line.

One of the reasons why this rates are this high in Sokoto and other northern states includes child marriages and ignorant cultural and traditional practices which makes them see antenatal care as a bad thing..