Borno State Government has recorded a 68 per cent reduction in stillbirths and a 54 per cent decline in maternal mortality at four healthcare facilities implementing the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme since 2023.

The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Prof. Baba Malam-Gana, disclosed this at a retreat organised by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in collaboration with the Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (BOSCHMA) in Maiduguri.

He attributed the gains to coordinated interventions aimed at improving maternal and newborn healthcare and preventing avoidable deaths during pregnancy and childbirth.

The participating facilities are the State Specialist Hospital, Gunge Maternity, Yerwa Clinic and Mala-Kachalla Clinic, all in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.

Malam-Gana said the state was integrating the programme with other maternal and perinatal health initiatives, including measures to prevent postpartum haemorrhage. He added that the government planned to expand the programme beyond Maiduguri to healthcare facilities across the remaining 26 local councils to improve access to quality maternal healthcare.

The commissioner, however, expressed concern over doctors’ absence from public hospitals despite receiving regular salaries. He said the government would adopt a carrot-and-stick approach, including engagement and electronic attendance monitoring, to strengthen accountability and ensure healthcare professionals were available to attend to patients.

Earlier, the NMA state chairman, Dr Kaka Ghazali, said the retreat was designed to strengthen leadership capacity following the association’s recent election.
Ghazali, however, faulted the omission of medical doctors from the state’s recent promotion and transfer exercise, which involved more than 100 other civil servants.

He reiterated the new leadership’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery and urged the public to appreciate the challenges confronting medical practitioners.

BOSCHMA Executive Secretary, Dr Saleh Kaza, identified limited residency training opportunities, difficult examinations, slow promotions, burnout, insecurity, poor remuneration and unsafe postings as factors affecting doctors.

He called for stronger political commitment and the removal of institutional bottlenecks hindering medical training, research and career progression. Kaza urged the government, medical professionals and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration to improve healthcare delivery in the state.