4 facilities in Borno record 68% decline in stillbirths – Official
By Ahmed Kaigama
Borno has recorded a 68 per cent decline in stillbirths in four healthcare facilities implementing the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme.
Prof. Baba Malam-Gana, the state Commissioner for Health, disclosed this at a retreat, organised by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in collaboration with Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (BOSCHMA) on Friday in Maiduguri.
He also announced a 54 per cent reduction in maternal mortality in the state, adding that the achievements were recorded from 2023 to date.
Malam-Gana attributed the development to coordinated interventions designed to improve maternal and newborn healthcare and prevent avoidable deaths during pregnancy and childbirth.
The commissioner identified the participating facilities as the State Specialist Hospital, Gunge Maternity, Yerwa Clinic and Mala-Kachalla Clinic in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.
He said the state government is integrating the programme with other maternal and perinatal health initiatives, including interventions to prevent postpartum haemorrhage.
He said the state government had planned to expand the programme beyond Maiduguri to healthcare facilities across the remaining 26 local government areas to improve access to quality maternal healthcare.
The commissioner, however, expressed concern over the absence of some doctors from public hospitals despite receiving regular salaries.
Malam-Gana said that the state government would also adopt a carrot-and-stick approach, including engagement and electronic attendance monitoring, to strengthen accountability and ensure healthcare professionals were available to attend to patients.
Earlier, Dr Kaka Ghazali, the NMA state Chairman, said the retreat was organised to strengthen leadership capacity following the association’s recent election.
He, however, expressed concern regarding the total omission of medical doctors from the recent promotion and transfer cycle made by the state establishment, which included over 100 other state civil servants.
Ghazali reaffirmed the new leadership’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery and urged the public to appreciate the challenges confronting medical practitioners.
Also speaking, Dr Saleh Kaza, the BOSCHMA’s Executive Secretary, identified limited residency training opportunities, difficult examinations, slow promotions, burnout, insecurity, poor remuneration and unsafe postings as challenges affecting doctors.
Kaza called for stronger political commitment and the removal of institutional bottlenecks hindering medical training, research and career progression.
He urged government, medical professionals and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration toward improving healthcare delivery in Borno.
NAN
