The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is collaborating with the government of Anambra State towards reducing maternal and child mortality especially at birth.
Dr. Afam Obidike, Anambra State Commissioner for Health, during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Ministry of Health, Data Operation Centre (DOC), Jerome Udoji State Secretariat, Awka, said that the state has also other ways the state is putting in efforts to stop maternal and infant deaths across the stat.
Dr. Obidike said that the government is determined to eliminate preventable maternal deaths and improve access to quality healthcare for women and children.
In his words , “The state is considering a comprehensive household mapping exercise to generate accurate population data for evidence-based planning, efficient resource allocation and improved healthcare delivery.”
DrumAfricanews gathered that the stakeholders’ during the meeting reviewed the state’s June 2026 maternal and child health performance with presentations delivered by the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) Desk Officer, Ijeoma Ikeanyionwu, the State Immunisation Officer, Mrs Edith Onwuka and the State Epidemiologist, Dr. Chuma Emembolu.
Analysis were made on the performance of the state with its maternal health indicators significantly standing above Nigeria’s national averages, with fourth-visit antenatal care coverage put at 84.9 per cent, facility-based deliveries at 83.2 per cent, and skilled birth attendance at 91.8 per cent.
Postnatal care coverage also remained high, reaching 73.2 per cent for mothers and 71.2 per cent for newborns.
The UNICEF delegation as led by its Health Manager, Martin Dohlshen and its Health Specialist, Dr. Ifeyinwa Anyanyo participated in discussions on strengthening maternal and child health systems, improving data quality and enhancing healthcare service delivery.
The UNICEF Health Systems Specialist, Dr. Emmanuel Emedo said he is satisfied with the state’s progress in the prevention of child and maternal death but called for improvements in health information management.
Emedo described the continued use of the “Black Book” reporting system as a major challenge and stressed on the need for accurate birth registration and stronger disease surveillance.
The report under reviewed identified concerns over neonatal and child mortality as well as discrepancies in death reporting between the District Health Information System (DHIS2) and the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) platforms, indicating that maternal and neonatal deaths remain under-reported.
The report also highlighted challenges affecting immunisation in some local government areas, including cold-chain failures, digital reporting gaps and an increasing number of zero-dose children. It noted that surveillance teams continue to monitor priority diseases such as measles, yellow fever, acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), Lassa fever and Mpox across the state.
To address the identified gaps, the state government announced plans to strengthen emergency obstetric care, improve referral systems, expand disease surveillance infrastructure and enhance primary healthcare services.
