The Federal Government has reported a 60 per cent reduction in maternal deaths in communities covered by its Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), alongside improvements in primary healthcare delivery and access to emergency maternity services.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed the figures on Tuesday in Abuja during the third Nigeria Health Sector Joint Annual Review.
Pate said the government had achieved all 41 performance commitments established for the health sector under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He also revealed that 3,526 primary healthcare centres had been revitalised nationwide, while work was ongoing at another 900 facilities.
According to the minister, the government had recruited 19,758 skilled birth attendants across 22 states and trained 78,054 frontline health workers to improve healthcare delivery.
He added that health insurance coverage had increased from approximately 16 million Nigerians to nearly 24 million.
“At the beginning of this administration, Mr President set performance commitments for the health sector. I am pleased to report that we have achieved all 41 commitments,” Pate said.
FG Links 60% Maternal Death Reduction to Improved Healthcare Access
The minister attributed the reported decline in maternal deaths to improved access to skilled birth attendants, emergency referral services and better-equipped healthcare facilities under MAMII.
He said 91 per cent of Basic Health Care Provision Fund-supported facilities in the initiative’s coverage areas now have at least two midwives or community health extension workers.
This represents an increase from 12 per cent before the intervention.
Pate also disclosed that 99 per cent of the facilities were connected to emergency referral systems, while 750,000 pregnant women had been identified and linked to functional health facilities.
He said emergency transport services were operating in 171 of the initiative’s 172 local government areas, with 104,566 women and newborns transported for healthcare services.
According to him, the programme had also supported the re-equipment of more than 300 secondary healthcare facilities for comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care, alongside over 500 primary healthcare centres for basic emergency obstetric and newborn care.
The minister said maternal case fatality in the areas covered by MAMII declined by approximately 60 per cent between 2024 and 2026.
Nearly 100,000 Emergency Maternity Services Delivered
Pate further disclosed that the Federal Government’s free emergency obstetric care programme had delivered nearly 100,000 services over two years.
The services included 80,906 caesarean sections, approximately 9,100 newborn services and 6,059 vesicovaginal fistula repairs.
He said skilled deliveries at supported facilities increased from 4.8 million in 2023 to 7.9 million by the second quarter of 2026.
Antenatal visits also rose from six million to 8.7 million within the period.
The minister said the figures reflected increased access to maternal healthcare and emergency services, particularly in communities targeted by government interventions.
FG Releases ₦422.3bn for Basic Healthcare
On healthcare financing, Pate said cumulative releases under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) had reached ₦422.3bn as of October 2026.
He disclosed that ₦249.5bn of the amount had been disbursed under the current administration.
The government had also reduced dialysis costs by as much as 80 per cent for 5,106 patients, while more than 15,000 Nigerians had benefited from its free 48-hour emergency care programme.
In another development, Pate said 10 pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing factories or production lines had been commissioned as part of efforts to strengthen local production capacity. Six of the facilities were commissioned in 2026.
Health Minister Admits Challenges Despite Reported Progress
Despite the reported improvements, the minister acknowledged that some health indicators remained a concern.
He said stunting had worsened slightly, while patient satisfaction with healthcare services declined from 76 per cent in 2024 to 71 per cent in 2026.
The minister’s remarks highlighted the government’s reported progress in healthcare infrastructure, maternal services, health financing and workforce development, while also pointing to continuing challenges in nutrition and the quality of patient experience.
