As part of effort to reduce maternal mortality in the country, the federal government has launched the Nigeria Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) platform.
The platform seeks to improve the well-being of women, children, adolescents and elderly in Nigeria, according to the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire.
Mr Ehanire, while speaking at the launch on Monday, said the challenges of the country’s health system are multidimensional and require an integrated, multi-sectoral approach.
He noted that investment in the health of women and children will support the overall socio-economic development of the country.
Mr Ehanire lamented that the country’s health indices are poor and totally unacceptable.
“Our health indices are unacceptably poor and there are emerging issues around gender, public health emergencies and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
”Maternal mortality ratio of 512 per 1000 live births, Under-five mortality rate of 132 per 1000 live births and neonatal mortality rate of 39 per 1000 live births,” he said.
A 2019 report by the United Nation’s Children Funds (UNICEF) shows that Nigeria is the world’s number one contributor to deaths of children under the age of five.
It said Nigeria recorded an estimated average of 858,000 under-five deaths in 2019.
culled from www.premiumtimesng.com