Saving lives in Nigeria
Wednesday 4 August 2010
I’m wrapping up my visit to Nigeria where I provided support to the health programme team. We’re updating the Saving Newborn Lives report and I came over to research and develop content on maternal, newborn and child health.
The capital, Abuja, is sprawling and the skyline is dotted with tall buildings, a grand mosque and big churches. The roads are wide and nice houses can be seen in the residential areas, giving an impression that all is well.
A visit to Kuje General Hospital in the outskirts of Abuja shows a different picture, however. In the children’s ward, toddlers were recovering from measles, diarrhoea and malaria. From my knowledge of Nigeria’s health indicators about child mortality, I know too well that these diseases are the most common causes of under-five deaths in the country. The children in the hospital were lucky that their parents could pay the minimal admission fee and received treatment.
Millions of Nigerian children die each year before reaching their fifth birthday due to preventable and treatable causes. About a quarter of these deaths occur during the first 28 days of life.
With a high under-five mortality rate and a huge population Nigeria and India account for nearly a third of all under-five deaths globally. Children’s chances of surviving to five years of age is largely unequal. Those coming from the poorest households are 2.5 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than those from the richest households. Children in the north-west are also over two times more likely to die than those in the south-west of the country.
Our report, which we aim to launch later this year, will look at the key interventions in maternal and child health that prevent newborns and children from dying from preventable causes. Some of these interventions, such as antenatal and post-natal care, exclusive breastfeeding and immunisation are inexpensive and can be rolled out widely in developing countries.
Bangladesh and Eritrea, which are on-track to meet the Millennium Development Goal 4 by 2015, have shown that it is possible for low income countries to improve child survival. Nigeria, which has more resources, could and should do more to prevent children from dying. We hope to use our report to lobby the government and other groups to do just that. Watch this space.
Tags: Abuja, child mortality, health indicators, Millennium Development Goals, Poverty
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August 7th, 2010 at 10:29 AM
I hope that the report will try to get to the reasons why a country with natural wealth is not providing basic services for all its citizens. If there were a proper commitment to the right to health and a functioning health system which delivered people’s entitlement to free healthcare, these simple causes of death would be dealt with. I worry that sometimes we advocate for the action without looking at the real reasons why the action is not in place.
August 7th, 2010 at 8:52 PM
Great write up Rica. I agree that countries with fewer resources are actually doing better at reaching their health goals. I know that this report is being produced with the Federal Ministry of Health in the lead so let’s hope it will be a tool that is used to determine and address priorities for maternal, newborn and child health based on need in Nigeria.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:56 AM
Thank you for your comments Kate and Simon. Yes, hopefully by working closely with the Ministry we will be be able use this report to address the needs of mothers and children in Nigeria.
August 12th, 2010 at 11:37 AM
away from strategic thinking i wonder how is the situation at the community level? , i mean how much they are getting envolved and committed to save their children using the avialable resources and good traditional practices. are they aware of the problem?.
August 13th, 2010 at 4:22 PM
Its so nice to seeth econcern going into saving lifes in Nigeria. We at Advocacy for maternal and Infant Health in Nigeria recognise your work and we are encouraged and motivated that the clarion call for quality health is being taken up outside the shores of our Country. We are ready to support and work hand in hand with you as you move towards achieving that goal. Illetracy which is aiding lack of information has been the major factor contributing to the increase in death rate of mother’s and children in Nigeria. poverty is also another factor. We pleased with your works so far. Thank you so much. AMIHIN
October 27th, 2010 at 12:43 PM
Reading your report on Nigeria brought me close to tears. How can a nation be so rich in natural resources and yet have it’s future generation ravishing in hunger and sickness? I believe that what Nigeria needs to save her children(especially dealing with malnutrition) can be found in Nigeria http://t.co/vMuCh8T if only they can be embraced by all especially the LEADERS. Thank you SCUKNigeria for all your efforts.