Kaduna Deputy Governor Decries Alarming Child, Maternal Mortality as State Launches MNCH Week

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, has raised alarm over the disturbingly high rates of maternal and child mortality in the state and across Nigeria, describing the situation as unacceptable and preventable. 

She made the remarks on Monday, June 23, 2025, during the official flag-off of the 2025 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) in Kaduna.

Representing the Governor, Uba Sani, Dr. Balarabe said the health statistics presented in the recent Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2023–2024) paint a grim picture that demands urgent and sustained action.

According to the survey, Nigeria records 41 neonatal deaths, 63 infant deaths, and 110 under-five deaths per 1,000 live births, figures that she described as a “crisis of care, a crisis of equity, and a crisis of conscience.”

Kaduna State’s own figures, she added, are equally worrying, with 47 neonatal deaths, 39 maternal post-neonatal deaths, 85 child deaths, and 153 under-five deaths per 1,000 live births.

“These are not just statistics,” she said. “These are lives, our children, our future, gone too soon. We cannot normalize this. We cannot keep losing mothers during childbirth. We cannot keep burying children before they have a chance to live.”

Dr. Balarabe insisted that these deaths are not inevitable and should never be accepted as the norm. She reaffirmed the state government’s commitment under Governor Uba Sani’s leadership to invest deliberately and strategically in healthcare not in buildings, but in saving lives.

She highlighted several measures already taken by the administration to address the crisis, including the upgrade of 255 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to deliver Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care, with an additional 255 in the pipeline. 

She also noted that 290 PHCs have been equipped with modern tools to aid frontline workers, and a new Department of Family Health is being established to coordinate maternal and child health programming.

She added that over 70,000 vulnerable persons were enrolled in the State Health Insurance Scheme in 2024 alone, pushing total coverage up to 639,000. 

She noted that these interventions are beginning to yield results, as evidenced by Kaduna’s recent recognitions: top performer in the North West PHC Challenge, best in tuberculosis and leprosy control by the Federal Ministry of Health, and best in disease surveillance by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

Despite these gains, the Deputy Governor admitted that much remains to be done. She cited national figures showing that only 63 percent of women receive antenatal care from skilled providers, just 46 percent of births are attended by skilled personnel, and only 43 percent of women receive postnatal care within two days of delivery. Even more troubling, 31 percent of children have never received any vaccinations.

Dr. Balarabe emphasized that the responsibility to change the narrative does not rest with government alone. 

She called on health workers to serve with skill and compassion, urged traditional and religious leaders to use their influence to shift mindsets, and reminded parents and caregivers that they too have a sacred duty to protect life and seek care.

“Healthcare in Kaduna is not a privilege, it is a right. Maternal and child deaths are not tolerable. They are a call to action. And inaction is not an option,” she said.

Dr. Balarabe thank development partners, civil society, and frontline health workers, particularly UNICEF, for their continued support. 

She stressed that the MNCH Week is more than a symbolic event, it is an opportunity to reach the most vulnerable with services that can save lives.

Also speaking at the event, Mohammed Usman, Nutrition Data Assistant from UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, echoed the Deputy Governor’s sense of urgency. 

He confirmed that the campaign is already active in all 23 LGAs of the state and is delivering a package of interventions including nutrition screening, immunization, health education, and hygiene demonstrations.

Usman described MNCH Week as truly life-saving, noting that early identification and treatment of malnutrition among children could make the difference between life and death.

As the week progresses, Kaduna State is not just providing services, it is sending a clear message that every life matters, and that the days of preventable deaths must come to an end.