UNFPA, Canada supply $6.2m maternal health commodities, equipment to Nigeria

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNH4+, in collaboration with the Canadian government, have donated maternal health commodities and medical equipment to the tune of $6.2 million to the Federal Government.

The commodities were handed over to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for distribution to the health facilities benefitting from the Midwives Service Scheme and SURE-P in 6 focal states of Lagos, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Kaduna, Adamawa and Ebonyi.

A statement made available, on Tuesday, in Abuja by the Canadian Embassy, said the intervention was a demonstration of government and development partners’ commitment to scale up access to life-saving commodities that were necessary to accelerate reductions in maternal, neonatal and child mortality and morbidity and improve Nigeria’s health outcomes to enhance the achievement of the health-related MDGs, particularly MDGs 4, 5..............

and 6.

According to Ms. Victoria Akyeampong, UNFPA Resident Representative, “Government and Development partners must continue to demonstrate the political will and invest more resources to increase access to maternal health services through evidence-based interventions.

“This is critical because the lives of our women and young girls depend on it,” she said, adding that the distribution of the commodities at the community level would contribute to a paradigm shift towards the elimination of preventable causes of death and significant reduction in mortality among mothers, newborn and children.

These donations, the statement read, were in addition to investments by UNFPA and the Canadian government in capacity building and training of health providers with over US$4 million in 2013.

“UNFPA and UNH4+ continue to seize opportunities such as the Midwives Service Scheme of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to make reproductive health and rights a reality for Nigerian women and girls through improved access to effective methods of contraception, maternal health medicines and quality maternal health services,” it said.

The commodities donated include Magnesium Sulphate for managing Eclampsia in pregnancy (which is the cause of about 11% of maternal deaths), Oxytocin drugs for use of prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage (which accounts for about 23% of maternal deaths in Nigeria). Other essential medicines being donated include contraceptives, antibiotics, and medical equipment such as Resuscitation tables, Midwifery kits, Abdominal Retractors, Autoclaves for sterilization of surgical equipment and surgical gowns, all of which will help to enhance the quality of maternal health servi