The Sokoto State Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has inaugurated a State Steering Committee on Maternal, Perinatal and Child Death Surveillance and Response (MPCDSR).
The committee was inaugurated on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at the Emergency Operations Centre of the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, as part of efforts to strengthen the identification, reporting and response to preventable deaths involving women, newborns and children.
The inauguration was performed on behalf of the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Umar Abubakar, by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Ibrahim Haliru Dingyadi.
Dingyadi said the committee was established to identify gaps in the health system, improve transparency and accountability, and strengthen interventions aimed at reducing maternal, perinatal and child mortality across the state.
He stressed the importance of a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach involving government institutions, healthcare professionals, development partners and other stakeholders.
According to him, accurate and timely data on maternal and child deaths would enable authorities to better understand the causes of deaths and develop appropriate interventions.
The Permanent Secretary also commended UNFPA for its continued technical support to the state.
The Executive Secretary of the Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Bilyaminu Yari Sifawa, represented by the Director of Disease Control, Dr Tukur Magaji, described the establishment of the committee as timely and expressed optimism that it would contribute to reducing preventable deaths.
Similarly, the Executive Director of the Sokoto State Health Services Management Board, Dr Bello Abubakar Attahiru, pledged the support of general hospitals to the initiative.
Attahiru said the board had commenced timely reviews of maternal and newborn deaths in general hospitals to identify gaps and improve the quality of care provided to women and newborns.
UNFPA State Team Leader, Dr Rabiatu Sageer, welcomed the inauguration, saying the initiative should translate into practical action capable of saving lives.
She emphasised that preventing deaths during pregnancy and childbirth required the collective efforts of government, healthcare workers, communities and development partners.
Sageer further assured the state of UNFPA’s continued technical support through SARAH funding to strengthen implementation of the MPCDSR programme.
The state Ministry of Health said data generated through the surveillance process would be used to guide timely, evidence-based interventions aimed at preventing avoidable maternal, perinatal and child deaths.
