By Praise Chinecherem
Anambra State Governor’s Wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo has called for quicker, bolder and holistic efforts toward meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals on maternal and infant mortality targets in Anambra State.
Mrs Soludo, who made this known in Awka, said that though the 2030 target may look distanced in consideration, faster and more strategic efforts must be applied to meet up with the global target.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nigeria accounts for over 34 per cent of global maternal deaths, with Anambra State taking a paltry percentage from the count since from far back as 2018.
Maternal and infant mortality reduction is a central theme under SDG 3.
Mrs Soludo, who said though Anambra State has a proud claim as it concerns statistics on infant and maternal mortality rate, it is imperative to make stronger health policies, recruit committed healthcare workers and get high-level equipment for healthcare centres, especially those in the rural areas.
She said that to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for maternal and newborn health (MNH) in Nigeria by 2030, the number of maternal fatalities must decrease by more than 90 to less than 3000 per year.
The governor’s wife also noted that promoting health education and strategic health campaigns could yield results in the efforts to checkmate maternal and newborn fatalities, insisting that government at all levels must show stronger determination to nip the trend.
She said the recruitment of healthcare professionals by her husband’s administration, along with other primary health development policies, will provide the platform needed to achieve long term goals.
