The Enugu State Government has inaugurated a 30-member task force to eliminate maternal and infant mortality across the state under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Innovation Initiative (MAMII) project.
The MAMII workshop, which began on October 6 and ended on October 10, culminated in the inauguration of the task force charged with implementing the project.
The task force comprises health professionals from hospitals and health agencies in the state, as well as representatives of donor organizations and development partners.
Inaugurating the team in Enugu on Friday, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, described the moment as symbolic, noting that the milestone was the result of several weeks of planning and collaboration, including a week-long co-creation exercise to develop an implementation document for reducing maternal and neonatal deaths in the state.
Prof. Ugwu said the administration of Governor Peter Mbah had adopted a holistic approach to healthcare delivery, revamping the system from the primary to the tertiary level.
According to him, community stakeholders have a key role to play in ensuring that pregnant women and newborns access quality healthcare, with the goal of reducing maternal and infant deaths to zero.
The Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) National Lead for Enugu, Mr. Abraham Ahmadu, explained that the MAMII task force would coordinate, monitor, and drive multi-sectoral actions aimed at accelerating the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality in the state.
In her welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, said the initiative was designed to ensure that no woman in Enugu State dies from pregnancy-related causes.
She noted that Nigeria bears one of the highest burdens of maternal and neonatal mortality globally, lamenting that for every ten women who die in childbirth worldwide, three are Nigerians.
“This is the kind of alarming figure we have resolved to reverse. When it comes to under-five mortality, it is said that eight out of every 1,000 children are unlikely to reach their fifth birthday. These children are the leaders of tomorrow — and that is why this initiative is so critical,” she said.
Dr. Ani-Osheku called for strong collaboration among all stakeholders to end the menace in Enugu State, expressing confidence that the state would surpass the MAMII project target.
The Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Samuel Asadu, pledged that traditional rulers would help cascade the MAMII message to their communities.
Represented by Emmanuel Anichebe, the Traditional Ruler of Akokwu Umana Community, Asadu commended the Federal and State Governments for initiating the MAMII project to tackle maternal and neonatal deaths at the grassroots.
Also speaking, the World Health Organization (WHO) State Coordinator, Mrs. Adaeze Ugwu, assured the state government of WHO’s partnership and technical support to ensure the project’s success.
