The Enugu State Government says skilled birth attendance for expectant mothers in health facilities increased from 40.9 per cent in October 2025 to 59.3 per cent in March 2026 statewide.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, said this on Wednesday in Enugu, noting that the increase reflected the government’s investment in healthcare and efforts to reduce maternal mortality.
He said the nearly 20 per cent increase reaffirmed the administration’s increased investment in healthcare and focus on reducing maternal and child mortality under Gov. Peter Mbah.
According to him, early service data also showed progress, with first antenatal care attendance rising from 16.8 per cent to 24.2 per cent during the same period.
“The massive investment in building 260 Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), equipping and staffing them, as well as the revitalisation of 54 general and cottage hospitals and investments in two state-owned teaching hospitals, is yielding positive results.
“For immediate service needs, the state approved the recruitment of more than 2,000 health workers for the PHC system, with deployment already progressing across facilities,” he said.
He added that the recruitment and deployment of personnel would greatly improve health indices and healthcare outcomes across facilities and communities in the state.
Ugwu said that to further close the gap in healthcare outcomes, the state government was completing preparations for a state-supported free maternal and child healthcare programme.
He said the programme would commence soon and was designed to improve access to essential maternal, newborn and child healthcare services for residents across the state.
He said: “The programme is intended to reduce financial barriers to antenatal care, delivery, essential newborn services and the treatment of priority childhood conditions.
“The aim is to bring together financing, primary care, emergency transport, Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care, Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care, and specialist referral into a single coordinated pathway.”
