Nigeria Health Watch to Host Policy Dialogue On Strengthening Primary Healthcare Accountability for Maternal and Child Health
Kano State, Nigeria — In an effort to address the significant gaps in maternal and child health services in Kano State, Nigeria Health Watch is organising a policy dialogue on Strengthening Primary Healthcare (PHC) Accountability for Improved Maternal and Child Health Outcomes. The event will take place on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
Kano State continues to face a maternal mortality rate of 377.8 per 100,000 live births, a figure well above the national target of 288 per 100,000, according to the NHMIS-DHIS2 2023. This alarming statistic is exacerbated by numerous challenges, including a high prevalence of home deliveries conducted without skilled birth attendants, cultural barriers, and delays in accessing facility-based care. In many rural communities, families are discouraged from seeking skilled care due to the cost of health facility deliveries.
Additionally, Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in the state face significant workforce shortages. Many facilities lack the human resources to operate 24/7, forcing patients to seek alternatives or wait until facilities reopen. These persistent gaps in service delivery underscore the need for stronger accountability and community participation to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
“Strengthening PHC accountability is essential to reducing maternal and child mortality in Kano State,” said Kemisola Agbaoye, Director of Programmes, Nigeria Health Watch. “By addressing the root causes of service delivery failures, we can ensure that more mothers and children receive the care they need.”
The policy dialogue is part of Nigeria Health Watch’s ongoing Global Policy and Advocacy Project, which aims to improve awareness and accountability in primary healthcare service delivery. The dialogue will bring together key stakeholders from the government, civil society, and healthcare sector to discuss evidence-based strategies for improving maternal and child health outcomes.
“Community engagement and accountability are critical to improving the quality of maternal care in Kano,” said Safiya Shuaibu Isa, Deputy Director of Advocacy & Partnerships, Nigeria Health Watch. “By integrating community feedback into healthcare decision-making, we can ensure that services are responsive to the needs of women and children.”
The policy dialogue builds on previous efforts by Nigeria Health Watch to promote accountability in healthcare through initiatives such as the Community Health Watch project and community-based perception surveys. These projects have revealed critical gaps in service delivery at PHCs, including the absence of WaSH facilities, dilapidated infrastructure, and inadequate medical supplies, all of which hinder access to quality care.
At the Dialogue, participants will have the opportunity to engage in panel discussions focused on addressing disparities in healthcare access between urban and rural areas and explore solutions for improving resource allocation and workforce shortages at PHCs.
Expected outcomes of the policy dialogue include the development of policy recommendations to improve access to maternal healthcare services in underserved LGAs, the identification of actionable steps to enhance PHC staffing and reduce wait times in high-burden areas and the strengthening of community feedback mechanisms to improve accountability and service delivery at PHCs.
By Nigeria Health Watch.
