Ondo, FG Partner to Tackle Maternal, Neonatal Mortality

The Ondo State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government, has launched a five-day stakeholders’ workshop aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by 30 percent before the year 2027.

The workshop, tagged Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMMI) Co-creation, brought together health experts, policymakers, and traditional leaders to brainstorm on context-specific solutions that will address key barriers to maternal and newborn survival in selected high-burden local government areas.

The initiative includes a deep-dive community assessment to identify health system gaps and social factors fueling maternal and neonatal deaths across five LGAs—Ese-Odo, Akure South, Ifedore, Ondo West, and Owo.

Speaking during the opening session, H.E Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa , who was represented by his Special Adviser on Health, Prof. Michael Odimayo, said the state government was fully committed to improving maternal health outcomes through ongoing reforms in the primary healthcare system.

He noted that the upgrade of 102 primary healthcare centres across the state was part of efforts to make essential services more accessible and reliable for women and children.

“This initiative is a game-changer. It aligns with our broader strategy of drastically reducing maternal and neonatal deaths across all communities,” Aiyedatiwa said.

He commended the Federal Government for initiating the programme, describing it as a bold step in tackling one of the country’s most pressing public health challenges.

The governor added, “We must continue to invest in infrastructure, our health workforce, and community-driven solutions. The MAMMI programme offers us a new chance to do that with impact.”

Also speaking at the event, the Director of Child Health at the Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria, Dr. Amina Mohammed, said Nigeria ranks third globally in preterm births, with over 773,600 cases annually, and 274,000 newborn deaths recorded in 2022 alone.

She said complications from preterm births remain the leading cause of under-five mortality, accounting for one-third of such deaths nationwide.

Dr. Mohammed explained that MAMMI would serve as a strategic framework to drive sustainable solutions for maternal and neonatal care, noting that 33 states and 171 local government areas had been identified as high-burden zones.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ondo State Ministry of Health, Dr. Adeniran Ikuomola, recalled that the state had previously implemented Abiye and Agbebiye, two programmes that gained national and international recognition for reducing maternal deaths.

While urging stakeholders to commit to the programme, Dr. Ikuomola said lessons from the past would inform the current intervention strategy.

Traditional ruler, the Adapogun of Ipogun, Oba Raphael Oluwadare Ojo, appealed to the Federal Government to expand the scope of the MAMMI programme to cover more local governments across the state for wider impact.