Strengthening, Scaling up community healthcare platforms could prevent 77 percent of Maternal, newborn, child death and Stillbirth – UNICEF

By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi

A Health Officer with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Bauchi Field Office, Oluseyi Olosunde has stated that strengthening and scaling up community and primary healthcare platforms could prevent 77 percent of preventable maternal, newborn and child death and Stillbirths.

Oluseyi who stated this during a media dialogue to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD), held at the Evolution Hotel in Gombe state, hampered on the need for governments at all levels to invest in community health system, particularly at the ward level as it is the first point of healthcare services that people in rural areas have access to.

According to him, pregnant women from richest households are twice likely to receive at least one ANC than women from poorest households, adding that nine out of every ten women in urban areas received ANC from a skilled provider, only six out of every ten women in rural areas received ANC from a skilled provider.

“123 out of 1000 of under 5 children living in rural areas dies before their 5th birthday while about half 67 per 1000 was reported for children living in urban areas”142 per 1000 for children born by mothers with no education dies before their 5th birthday, but only 40 per 1000 for children, those born by mothers with tertiary education or higher respectively.

“133 out of 1000 of under 5 children born into the poorest households dies before their 5th birthday, but only 47 per 1000 children born in the richest households” he said.

He stated that prioritizing community based primary health care, of which community health workers are key, is critical to address these challenges and work towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC), adding that there is a need to build a resilient health systems to be better prepared for the next global health schock.

Oluseyi said that a few challenges informed the community health system which include shortage of infrastructure healthcare workers, deterioration I’m child and maternal mortality due to conflict and others crisis inhibiting UNICEF and others to reach hard to reach areas.

At the community level, the UNICEF Health Officer stated that UNICEF initiated the Mama2Mama group who are women volunteers working at the community level to Improve healthcare delivery services through the identification of respected community mothers as agents of change in promoting reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child adolescent health across all the communities.

He noted that the women groups are important caregivers are important at the community level as they work towards educating and referring women in the community to RMNCAH services, especially antenatal, hospital delivery, immunisation, and postnatal care, as well as other PHC-related services.