The Kano government has set an ambitious four-year target to achieve zero maternal mortality. This follows a significant reduction in maternal mortality of about 50 per cent, from 1,206 to 570 cases over the last 18 months.

Health commissioner Abubakar Labaran said this on Tuesday during the learning and dissemination meeting of the Accelerating the expanded adoption of RMNCH innovations and health reforms in Kano State project.

The meeting was organised by West and Central Africa Health Options with support from Technical Advice Connect.

Mr Labaran said the state has set a four-year target to address deaths of women during deliveries. He said the state government has reduced the scourge by 50 per cent through innovations such as E-Motive, as part of its determination to achieve zero mortality.

“We have achieved a lot within the year. We started with a maternal mortality of 1,206. It has now dropped to at least 50 per cent, a significant reduction and achievement. The Kano state government is committed to this goal,” he said.

Mr Labaran said the state had procured 484 ambulances to be deployed to 484 primary health facilities, to enhance the transportation of women in labour. He said the state governor also approved the expansion of free maternal mortality commodities to women in labour in the 484 PHCs across the state.

The health commissioner highlighted that interventions such as e-motives and calibrated grips reduced maternal mortality in the state.

“In the next one and a half years, we will reduce it further by another 25 to 30 per cent. Hopefully, in the next three to four years, we will achieve that. So Kano is on the right path of reducing maternal mortality,” he said.

Ufuoma Omo-Obi, the WCA chief executive, said the organisation deployed an innovative intervention in tertiary and primary health facilities across the state to reduce maternal mortality.

Ms Obi said that 14,000 safe deliveries were recorded using the calibrated drugs, with about 4,500 in less than four months.

“Those that progressed to PPH, about 507 of them, we were able to treat them“In the past, those would have been stark numbers of women dying. This programme was able to save those women,” Ms Obi said.

According to Ms Obi, the programme is training 800 health workers and working with skilled bed attendants in facilities to provide a broad range of services.

(NAN)