The Cross River State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, and development partners is set to officially launch the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative, MAMII , a strategic programme aimed at reducing maternal and newborn deaths across the State.
The initiative which aims to reduce maternal deaths by 30 percent in 2028, is part of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda under the leadership of the Minister of Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.
It targets one hundred and seventy-two (172) Local Government Areas across Nigeria that contributes to over fifty percent of the nation’s maternal mortality burden.
In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Health, Doctor Henry Ayuk, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Cross River State Ministry of Health, Mr. Jonah Offor in Calabar, emphasized that weak health systems remainthe primary drivers of maternal and newborn deaths in the State.
According to Dr. Ayuk, “the main causes of maternal deaths in our State are obstructed labour, hemorrhage, hypertension, and unsafe abortions. For newborn deaths, pneumonia, atresia, and congenital abnormalities are the leading causes. If you look at it critically, the root cause is simple, our weak health systems.”
