The Plateau State Primary Healthcare Board, on Thursday, declared a state of emergency on maternal and child health to reduce the degree of death among pregnant women in the state.
The declaration was made by the Executive Secretary of the board, Dr. Livinus Miapkwap, at the secretariat of the board in Jos.
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According to him, the need for the action followed the current estimates which indicated that the maternal mortality ratio for Nigeria ranges between 556 and 814/per 100,000 live births, adding that Nigeria, with 2% of the world’s population, contributes about 14% to global maternal deaths.
“Having noted the high rate of maternal, newborn, and under-5 mortality in Nigeria, I declared a state of emergency in the state and thus inaugurate the State Emergency Maternal and Child Health Intervention Centre to oversee and ensure optimal health attainment for our women and children,” the Secretary said.
While appreciating governor Simon Lalong and other partners for initiating the programme, the secretary further charged all other members of the committee to put in their best to ensure the achievement of the programme.
Dr. Miapkwap further explained that, to ensure efficiency in the programme, the board had already started transfer of staff from one location to another across the 17 local government areas of the state.
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