The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Muyi Aina, has warned against Nigeria’s slow progress in combating maternal mortality, as the nation records 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births as of 2020.
Aina gave the warning at the Nigeria Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Forum in Abuja, adding that it has become imperative, considering as the Nigeria holds the highest maternal mortality rate globally
The forum, organized in collaboration with Options Consultancy Services, provided a platform for discussing the priorities of Nigeria’s health sector under President Bola Tinubu and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Mohammed Ali Pate.
Aina who called for more urgent action, while decrying the inefficiencies in Nigeria’s healthcare spending, emphasized that the problem lies not in the availability of funds but in their poor allocation and utilization.
While acknowledging achievements such as the revitalization of over 8,000 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) across the country, with plans to double the figure by 2027, the ED, nonetheless stressed that much more remains to be done.
