The Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof Ali Pate, launched six key policy documents aimed at ensuring safe childbirth for all Nigerian women, regardless of their background, during the commemoration of the 2025 Safe Motherhood Day
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, on Wednesday launched six pivotal policy documents designed to guarantee safe childbirth for every woman in Nigeria, irrespective of her location, income, or social standing.
The unveiling of these safe motherhood documents took place in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2025 Safe Motherhood Day, themed, “Innovating for safer birth: A collective responsibility to crash maternal mortality.”
Safe Motherhood Day is observed annually on April 11th to raise awareness and foster public discussion on effective strategies and interventions for promoting maternal and newborn health and survival within an integrated continuum of care.
Highlighting the critical situation, the World Bank indicates that Nigeria accounts for a staggering 20 per cent of global maternal and child mortality cases.
The six key policy documents launched by the minister include:
1. Safe Motherhood Strategy (2024–2028): A roadmap for coordinated, multi-level interventions to protect mothers’ lives, also encompassing the national quantification of maternal health commodities for the same period.
2. Guidelines for the Management of Postpartum Haemorrhage: Aimed at standardising lifesaving practices across the nation.
3. Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia Guidelines: Targeted strategies for the timely detection and effective management of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.
4. Essential Gynaecological Skills Manuals: Designed to enhance the competencies of healthcare workers in managing women’s reproductive health.
5. 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.
6. National Training Manual for Doctors and Nurses on the Management of Obstetric Fistula: Providing a globally standardised, user-friendly training manual to offer holistic, respectful, simple, affordable, quality, and evidence-based care for women and girls living with genital fistula.
Minister Pate emphasized the moral imperative of safe motherhood, stating, “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.”
He acknowledged the long-standing issue of maternal and newborn mortality in Nigeria and affirmed the government’s commitment to changing this narrative through the Health Sector Renewal Initiative, which is driving healthcare transformation.
Prof Pate called upon all stakeholders, including governors, traditional rulers, healthcare workers, community leaders, development partners, and the private sector, to collaborate in making safe motherhood a reality in every part of Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretary at the ministry, Daju Kachollom, represented by the Director of Family Health, Dr Binyere Ukaire, stressed that maternal mortality is not just a statistic but a personal tragedy and a reflection of health system gaps that require urgent attention.
She highlighted the need for partnerships and innovative solutions for a safer Nigeria where every pregnancy is wanted and every birth is safe.
The Country Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Walter Mulombo, urged the government to continue investing heavily in maternal and newborn health services to ensure equitable access to quality care, particularly in underserved areas.
He also advocated for the enactment and upholding of laws protecting the rights of women and children, including access to sexual and reproductive health services, and addressing underlying socio-economic factors driving inequity.
