It is with deep sorrow and gratitude to the will of God that the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programme in Northern Nigeria (MNCH2) mourns the loss of one of its own, Dr Abubakar Izge. Dr Izge was the Senior Technical Advisor for the programme and in charge of the programme’s federal level engagement. He
Universal health coverage (UHC) is a system that promotes access to quality healthcare to all citizens. It means that all people and communities can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the
With over 9.4 million inhabitants (National Population Census, 2006), Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria. The state has over 1,200 health facilities, a vibrant agricultural sector and serves as a centre for commerce for the northern part of the country. However, maternal, infant and child mortality rates alongside other health indices remain some
‘Journalists are the storytellers that the public listen to and are charged with looking at a problem from many perspectives to develop that coherent narrative that speaks to their audience. These are qualities that most scientists and public health professionals don’t bring to their jobs, nor are they always expected to or even should. As
Sa’adatu knew something wasn’t right when her contractions started. By the time she and her husband arrived on a motorcycle to the nearest PHC, she wasn’t just vomiting but bleeding profusely. The PHC referred her to a larger facility 35 miles away. “I was confused,” says Sa’adatu’s husband Mallam Haruna, a Fulani farmer living in
On the 1st of December 2014, Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, came under attack by Boko Haram insurgents. Six kilometres away in Dikumari, a diverse farming community of 2,000 residents, the gunshots and chaos forced many people to flee the town. Barely six months later, Dikumari became a host community to some of the
On the 16th of April 2018, MNCH2 participated in the flag-off ceremony to commence the distribution of drugs and commodities donated by the programme to Jigawa state. The Project Director and National Team Leader Dr. Jabulani Nyenwa handed over the items in a symbolic ceremony to the Deputy Governor Barr. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia. In his
Kano State, the most populous in Nigeria, is known as the ‘centre of commerce’. Yet there are only 359 medical doctors serving its growing 13.4 million population. There are around five times as many nurses and midwives – but this doesn’t amount to even two health professionals per 10,000 population, compared to the World Health
In addition to inadequate political will, weak and non-transparent budgetary processes and corruption have been identified as major contributors to poor health financing, with negative impact on the Nigerian health sector. Year after year, Nigeria falls behind the commitment it made alongside 16 other African nations in Abuja in 2001 to commit at least 15