Kaduna Launches TBA Policy to Curb Maternal, Child Deaths

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government, with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has launched a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) Policy and Guidelines to regulate the activities of TBAs and strengthen referral systems as part of efforts to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths in the state.

The policy was unveiled alongside the Social and Behaviour Change Strategy for Nutrition Across the Life Course, providing frameworks for improving maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition outcomes across Kaduna.

Speaking at the launch in Kaduna, the Director of Planning, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Dr. Sunday Joseph, who represented the Permanent Secretary, said the TBA policy and guidelines were important because maternal and child mortality remained a major challenge in Kaduna and Nigeria.

Joseph said the government recognised the influence of TBAs, particularly in rural communities where they have earned the trust of women and families and often provide support to women who face barriers in accessing formal healthcare.

However, he noted that the absence of professional training among some TBAs could expose mothers and babies to risks, making regulation, guidance and stronger referral mechanisms necessary.

He said the new guidelines would enable the government to identify TBAs, guide their activities and ensure they refer women to appropriate health facilities whenever care beyond their capacity is required.

“Because they are not professionals and they are not trained, they are, one way or the other, causing harm,” Joseph said.

He explained that the framework was designed to ensure that TBAs complement rather than undermine the formal health system, particularly through appropriate communication, identification of danger signs and referral.

According to him, the guidelines would help government control how TBAs operate and prevent practices that could cause “more harm than good” in communities.

The Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma K. Ahmed, said the government had chosen to regulate and properly engage TBAs because of their continued influence in communities.

She said the policy would define their roles, strengthen referral pathways and link them more effectively with the formal healthcare system.

“The policy and guidelines being launched today will support a coordinated approach that prioritises safe pregnancy and childbirth, early identification of danger signs, timely referrals and increased utilisation of skilled healthcare services,” Ahmed said.

She stressed that the safety of mothers and newborns must remain central to the state’s engagement with TBAs as Kaduna intensifies efforts to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

Ahmed called on ministries, departments and agencies, local government councils, traditional and religious institutions, professional bodies, civil society organisations, communities and development partners to take ownership of the frameworks and support their implementation.

She warned that the success of the documents would not be determined by their publication but by their practical application across health facilities and communities.

Also speaking, UNICEF Kaduna Chief of Field Office, Dr. Gerida Birukila, emphasised the importance of community and traditional leadership in promoting positive health and nutrition behaviours.

Birukila said behaviours were connected to every aspect of life and urged traditional and religious leaders to use their influence to promote practices that could save lives.

She particularly highlighted exclusive breastfeeding, immunisation, education and access to essential services as areas requiring sustained community engagement.

She called on stakeholders to ensure that families receive accurate information and are supported to adopt healthy practices.

The event also featured the launch and dissemination of the Social and Behaviour Change Strategy for Nutrition Across the Life Course, which seeks to promote healthier behaviours from pregnancy and infancy through childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.

Ahmed said the strategy would provide a coordinated framework for improving maternal nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, adolescent nutrition and other healthy practices.

She stressed that nutrition improvement required more than the provision of commodities and clinical services, saying it also depended on changes in knowledge, attitudes, practices and behaviours within households and communities.

The Commissioner commended UNICEF and other development partners, technical experts and stakeholders for their support and contributions to the development of the policy, guidelines and nutrition strategy.

Joseph similarly acknowledged the contributions of stakeholders and the consultant, Dr. Aziz from Kansas City University, to the development of the TBA framework.

The Kaduna State Government said it expected the newly launched frameworks to serve as practical tools for improving maternal and newborn health, strengthening referrals and reducing preventable deaths across the state.