In a major step toward improving public health outcomes, the Kano State Government has announced a comprehensive initiative to enhance maternal and child health services across the state, aiming to reduce preventable deaths and improve access to quality care for women and children.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, speaking at the launch of the new initiative at the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, said the government was committed to addressing long-standing gaps in the healthcare delivery system, particularly at the grassroots level.
“No mother should lose her life giving birth, and no child should die from preventable causes,” Governor Yusuf declared. “We are investing in health infrastructure, medical personnel, and essential supplies to ensure safer deliveries and healthier childhoods.”
The initiative, backed by both state funding and support from development partners including UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will focus on:
- Upgrading primary healthcare centres across all 44 local government areas
- Recruiting and training additional midwives and community health workers
- Expanding immunization outreach and antenatal care services
- Providing free maternal and neonatal drugs at designated facilities
- Launching an awareness campaign to promote safe childbirth practices
Recent statistics from the National Demographic and Health Survey indicate that Kano remains one of the states with high maternal and infant mortality rates, largely due to limited access to skilled birth attendants and basic emergency obstetric care.
Health Commissioner Dr. Hadiza Muhammad said the program would also incorporate mobile clinics to reach remote communities and underserved populations.
“We are taking healthcare to the people, not waiting for the people to come to us,” she noted.
Civil society groups and healthcare advocates have welcomed the move, calling it “a critical intervention” in a region where traditional beliefs, poverty, and under-resourced facilities have long undermined maternal and child health outcomes.
“This marks a shift from rhetoric to real action,” said Aminu Bello, a local public health advocate. “Now the focus should be on transparency and sustained implementation.”
As Kano moves forward with the plan, stakeholders hope it will serve as a model for other northern Nigerian states grappling with similar challenges in maternal and child health.
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