By Lizzy Carr
Bauchi State Commissioner of Health Dr. Sabiu Abdu Gwalabe has reechoed the importance of maternal, perinatal, and child deaths surveillance response MPCDSR to be carried out within the stipulated 24 hours for such deaths to be reviewed.
He was speaking at the opening of a three-day training on MPCDSR for the state steering committee organized by USAID IHP Task Order 3 held in Azare, Bauchi State.
The World Health Organisation’s goal of the maternal perinatal and child deaths surveillance response MPCDSR is to eliminate preventable maternal and perinatal deaths.
Objectives of the training on MPCDSR for the state steering committee are to introduce participants to the concepts, philosophies, and rationale of MPCDSR, build their capacity to use data to reduce maternal, neonatal, and child mortalities as well as improve the quality of maternal, neonatal and child health in Bauchi state.
Gwalabe said that the maternal neonatal and child deaths surveillance response will help the state to improve on interventions towards reducing these deaths.
“Health care providers are expected to identify, notify, quantify and review the causes of these maternal and neonatal and child deaths within 24 hours as stipulated by the guidelines, “he said.
Gwalabe noted that though countries and states have developed policies and guidelines on MPCDSR, implementation is still a major challenge that even the Bauchi state is facing.
“We need to come up with recommendations that will help address issues around MPCDSR in the state.
State Technical Director USAID IHP Bauchi, Dr Ibrahim Kabo said the state has done little in addressing maternal neonatal and child mortalities.
“The Ministry of Health must be able to give directives to health care workers and facilities to always implement the guidelines around MPCDSR, ” he said.
Also speaking, the state chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, Dr. Bashir Farouk expressed optimism that the meeting will come up with recommendations and action points that will help identify reasons behind these deaths and implement the outcomes to reduce Maternal neonatal and child mortalities.
According to the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey NDHIS 2018, Bauchi State is still a major contributor to the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria.
