Posted on: Sun 18-12-2016

Says Nigeria loses 109 Children Under-five per 1,000 live births

Save the Children International joins the global community today to commemorate the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day. Universal Health Coverage Day is celebrated globally on the 12^th of December, and has become the annual rallying point for the growing movement for Health for All. UHC day marks the anniversary of the United Nations’ historic and unanimous endorsement of universal health coverage in 2012.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) means everyone can access quality health services without financial hardship. There is a growing global consensus that UHC is a smart investment and an achievable goal everywhere. All countries have committed to UHC through their endorsement of the Sustainable Development Goals (Target 3.8, under Goal 3).

At the global front, and in Nigeria, Save the Children has been at the cutting-edge of the Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) global campaign. It has also been pushing for increased national commitment to, and investment in, UHC, by building universal, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services (RMNCAH) at the primary health care level as the first priority and prioritizing the poorest and most marginalized groups.

In Nigeria, under-five mortality rate is 109 per 1,000 live births; newborn mortality- 34/1,000 (UNICEF State of the World’s Children, 2016), 62% of deliveries happen without the presence of a Skilled Birth Attendant; there are 2 skilled health workers for every 1,000 people (and NDHS, 2013); in 2014, instead of the recommended 15% recommended by the Abuja declaration 8% of the government’s budget was spent on health; out of pocket expenditure on health is high- 72% of total health expenditure.

Driven by a passion to see that no child dies from preventable causes, Save the Children has continued to collaborate with the Governments of Lagos, Gombe and Kaduna states Government on a number of interventions, including the Health Workers Capacity Building (HCB) project. HCB is a three year project, spanning from June 2015 to May 2018, focused on building the capacity of health workers in Lagos through several bouquet of trainings including Essential Newborn Care, Injections and Vaccines Management Training, Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI), amongst others. HCB is also committed to ensuring an enabling policy environment for the delivery of improved Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) services in Lagos.

The Area Operations Manager for Save the Children Nigeria in Lagos state, Mr. Roy Chikwem says "We need to do more to improve health care delivery for mothers and children in the country as the figures reflect high numbers of deaths among under-fives”. he said.

Save the Children is calling for increased national commitment and investment towards UHC, by building RMNCAH services at primary health care level as a first priority and prioritising access for the poorest and most marginalised and excluded groups. Our call to governments, donors, development partners and all stakeholders is to: guarantee an essential package of RMNCAH services as the first priority for UHC; free at the point of use and accessible to all; establish time-bound equity targets for accelerated progress among the poorest and most marginalised and excluded people, so no one is left behind; increase public spending on healthcare to at least recommended minimum levels; improve quality and promote respectful and dignified care in health facilities; and fully implement the National Health Act.

Save the Children is known world- wide as a rallying voice for child survival, development and participation. The HCB project is funded with support from GlaxoSmithKline.

Download Infographics HERE

Download Press briefing Presentation HERE

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