Maternal Health Crisis: Nigeria Has Solutions, But Poor Execution Kills Mothers — Akpede

Professor of Paediatric Neurology and Infectious Diseases, Prof. George Akpede, has blamed Nigeria’s persistently high maternal and newborn deaths on poor implementation of proven healthcare interventions rather than a lack of innovation.

Delivering the keynote lecture, “Preserving Our Future: Innovation Strategies for Accelerating Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Outcomes in Nigeria,” during the seventh anniversary of Med-Vical International and the launch of its Med-Vical School Health (MSH) Programme and Maternal, Small and Sick Newborn Infants Initiative (MaSSNII), Akpede said the country already has evidence-based solutions capable of saving thousands of mothers and newborns.

According to him, the challenge is not the absence of innovation but the failure to consistently implement proven interventions.

“The conversation should no longer be about discovering new innovations alone. We already have effective, evidence-based interventions that can save thousands of mothers and babies if we consistently apply them,” he said.

Akpede noted that although healthcare innovations have continued to emerge over the years, implementation remains the weakest link.

“If we consistently do the basic things the right way, even using proven traditional approaches, we would be in a much better position than we are today. Many of the challenges we face are not because solutions do not exist, but because we have not fully embraced and applied the ones already available to us,” he added.

Earlier, Chairman of Med-Vical International, Prof. Ehijie Enato, described Nigeria’s maternal and newborn health indices as alarming, noting that the country records the highest number of newborn deaths in Africa and the second highest globally. He said the organisation would continue supporting government efforts through quality clinical services, capacity building for frontline healthcare workers and community-based interventions to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality.

Also speaking, Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole, called for stronger collaboration among government, development partners and private healthcare providers to tackle maternal and newborn deaths, insisting that no woman should lose her life while giving birth.

The event also featured the launch of the Med-Vical School Health (MSH) Programme and the Maternal, Small and Sick Newborn Infants Initiative (MaSSNII), both aimed at improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes across Nigeria.