OVER 58,000 WOMEN DIE AT POINT OF GIVING BIRTH IN NIGERIA – AISHA BUHARI

AKURE, Nigeria – Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu – Akeredolu joined other key players and stakeholders to deliberate on the need for private investors to partner with government in attaining the goals of RMNCAH+N in Nigeria. The meeting  was convened by the wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, with the goal to sensitise the private sector about their potential roles in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) in Nigeria.

At the advocacy meeting which took place at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, Dr. Kamal Mohammed, Coordinator of Future Assured, in his overview noted that the main goal of the programme was to attract investment from the private sector in other to help in improving the health of women and children in Nigeria.

Prompted by the need to improve the current poor health outcome of women, children and other vulnerable groups, the wife of the president, Mrs. Aisha Buhari founded the Future Assured. The initiative has continued to advocate for the health and well-being of women and children through community mobilization and health promotion.

Mrs. Buhari who called on the private sector to invest in Life saving interventions in order to save 3,277 women which constitute five percent that die yearly stated that she targets to save 30,711 children in the next one year. According to her, the ugly trend where over 58,000 women die from pregnancy related complications like excessive bleeding after childbirth, hypertension in pregnancy, unsafe abortions, infections and obstructed labour must be reversed.

“My foundation Aisha Buhari Foundation, through the Future Assured Programme is committed to contributing to the acceleration of efforts to end preventable material, newborn and child dealth through advocacy and the strengthening of accountability mechanism to enhance the peace and development of Nigeria.

The Private Sector Advocacy Meeting for Investment in RMNCAH+N witnessed the convergence of major stakeholders, international and national bodies as well as private investors joined in deliberation by wives of state governors across Nigeria.

Key discussants include the Honourable Minister for Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, National Assembly Senate Committee on Health, Sen. Olarenwaju Tejuoso, Director General, World Health Organisation, Dr. Tedros A.Ghebreyesus, Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria led by Dr. Muntaga Umar Sadiq, Pharm Access Foundation Netherlands Coutry Director, Mrs. Njide Ndili, Vice President, Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Dr. Festus Osoba.

Earlier in his goodwill message, Dr. Paul Basinga from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation affirmed the commitment of the Foundation towards ensuring access to primary health care in Nigeria.

Others in attendance were ministers, wives of the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, other wives of governors and wives of security agencies as well as representatives of the private sector, who all made commitments to saving lives of women and children.