The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, on Wednesday unveiled six key policy documents aimed at ensuring safe childbirth for every Nigerian woman, regardless of her location, income, or background.

Pate launched the safe motherhood documents in Abuja in commemoration of the 2025 Safe Motherhood Day, themed, “Innovating for safer birth: A collective responsibility to crash maternal mortality.”

Safe Motherhood Day is an annual event marked on April 11 to create awareness and generate public dialogue on the best strategies and interventions that promote maternal and newborn health and survival within an integrated continuum of care.

According to the World Bank, 20 per cent of the world’s maternal and child mortality cases are from Nigeria.

The documents launched are the safe motherhood strategy, postpartum haemorrhage guidelines, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia guidelines, essential gynaecological Skills, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health+nutrition quality of care strategy quality of care strategy and the national training manuals for doctors and nurses on the management of obstetric fistula

The minister said, “We are reminded that no woman should die giving life, and no child should be born into preventable suffering. That is why our slogan this year, “Care for Moms, Hope for the Babies,” is both a call to action and a moral imperative.

“Safe Motherhood is not merely a health agenda, it is a moral imperative, a cornerstone of sustainable development, and a critical measure of our national progress.

“For too long, maternal and newborn mortality has plagued our communities, robbing families of their futures and undermining our collective potential. But today, I am here before you to affirm that Nigeria is changing that narrative.”

He noted that the Health Sector Renewal Initiative is driving healthcare transformation as the government has taken bold steps to address longstanding challenges in the health system.

He said, “In recognition of today’s importance, and line with our commitment to safe motherhood, I am proud to officially launch the following national documents: The safe motherhood strategy (2024-2028)– our roadmap for coordinated, multi-level interventions to protect mothers’ lives. The document also has national quantification of maternal health commodities (2024-2028); guidelines for the management of postpartum haemorrhage – to standardise lifesaving practices nationwide; preeclampsia and eclampsia guidelines – targeted strategies for timely detection and effective management of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

“Essential gynaecological skills manuals – to enhance the competencies of health workers managing women’s reproductive health; the reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health+nutrition quality of care strategy – a framework to ensure respectful, rights-based, and high-quality care for women, newborns, children, adolescents, and the elderly; and the national training manual for doctors and nurses on the management of obstetric fistula: to provide global standards, user friendly training manual for doctors to provide holistic, respectful, simple, affordable, quality and evidenced based care that will improve quality of life for women and girls living with genital fistula.
“These documents represent our government’s promise to not just respond to emergencies, but to build a resilient, people-centred health system that can anticipate and prevent them.”

He called on stakeholders, governors, traditional rulers, healthcare workers, community leaders, development partners, and the private sector to join hands in making safe motherhood a reality in every village, every ward, and every home.

The Permanent Secretary at the ministry, Daju Kachollom, noted that maternal mortality is not just a statistic; it is a personal tragedy for families, a setback for communities, and a reflection of health system gaps we must urgently address.

Kachollom, who was represented by the Director of Family Health at the ministry, Dr Binyere Ukaire, emphasised the need to forge partnerships, share innovations, and accelerate solutions for a safer Nigeria, where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every mother and baby thrives.

“Safe Motherhood Day is a solemn reminder of the journey many women and girls still take through pregnancy and childbirth—sometimes with risk, sometimes with fear, and too often without adequate support. But it is also a celebration of the progress we have made and the resilience of mothers, healthcare workers, and communities who continue to push forward.

“Today, I am proud to highlight the progress we have made through the Health Sector Renewal Initiative (HSRII). This bold reform agenda has begun to yield concrete results.”

She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, promoting respectful and inclusive maternity care, expanding access to reproductive and maternal health services, especially in rural and underserved areas, and supporting healthcare workers.

The Country Representative of the World Health Organisation, Dr Walter Mulombo, urged the government to continue to invest heavily in maternal and newborn health services to expand equitable access to quality care, especially in hard-to-reach areas which are most affected by mortality in mothers and newborns.

“We would like to encourage the government to enact and uphold laws that protect women and children and their rights, including maternity protection and access to sexual and reproductive health services. We’d like the government to address underlying social and economic factors that drive inequity.

“In collaboration with all of us partners, I would like to call all of us to strengthen accountability, coordination, and innovation at all levels in support of the Sector Wide Approach and the health transformation that is unique in a country like Nigeria,” he noted.


https://punchng.com/fg-unveils-national-guidelines-to-tackle-maternal-deaths/