Make free maternal child health care a priority

SIR: The right to health is an inalienable right of all citizens, it is a prerequisite condition for the right to life and no citizen should be denied their right to life through the abrogation of their rights to health. It is therefore the responsibility of the government at all levels to protect the right to life of its citizens with special focus on the vulnerable ones. This becomes important judging from the negative health indices of Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate. Nigeria currently ranks third highest after Sudan and Chad with 1047 maternal deaths from every 100,000 live births.  The alarming danger of losing the life of a mother for attempting to bring forth another life is a serious threat to our humanity.

Key players in the health sector have for a very long-time drum support for the protection of life of mothers and children by tasking the government to devise laws and policies that protect the health of the vulnerables. One of such effective laws would be free maternal and child health law. The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education with support from the Misereor foundation was on the vanguard for the establishment of this law in Kano State.

Thankfully on the 10th of May 2023, the Kano State Government under Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf signed the Free Maternal Child Health Care law. The objectives of the law include: (a)To achieve a substantial reduction in maternal mortality and child in Kano State (b) To provide a legal framework for the promotion and advancement of maternal and child healthcare, safe motherhood and comprehensive child care, (c) To ensure the accessibility of qualitative and comprehensive maternal and child healthcare to women and children in Kano State.  It has key provisions such as making funds between the state and local government available for free health care for women and children. Financing costs of medicines materials, micronutrients, supplies, basic laboratory and complementary tests for the care of pregnant women, newborn, infants. and children under the age of five years. It also made provision for the establishment of one maternal and child healthcare facility in each of the Local Government Headquarters; one of such facilities in every town/village within the range of kilometers radios from the Local Government headquarters or from another maternal healthcare facility.

While stakeholders continue to partner with CHRICED to push for the implementation of the law. It is important to call on the Federal Government and the 36 states of the federation to tow similar lines. The Minister of Health once declared the introduction of free Caesarian Session for pregnant women in need of C.S. This is a noble gesture that should go beyond lip service but given thorough implementation. The implementation of free Caesarian Session for pregnant women would not only contribute to saving lives of women and children who would have opted for forced vaginal delivery against medical advice due to the cost implication, it would also serve as a subsidy measure for the families involved, surviving under the current economic hardship in Nigeria. To demonstrate commitment to free Maternal Child Health Law, the Kano state government should go a step further to implement the 2025 budget which makes provision for N2.5bn being 1% of local government contribution for contributory health management and the 1.2bn vulnerable health care program. It is expected that the full implementation of this budget would contribute to the steady reduction of negative maternal health indicators in the state.

It is important that other state governors draw lessons from Kano and where possible go beyond Kano state in terms of establishing the law and allocate adequate resources to fund free maternal and child health law. The Federal Government must also show leadership by implementing section 25, sub-section (1) of the National Health Authority Act that makes provision for the establishment of the Vulnerable Group Fund. The VGF of the Federal Government is also meant to remove financial obstacles and improve the health conditions of poor and vulnerable individuals’ by granting them access to free healthcare nationwide. This is a responsibility that governments at all levels must not shy away from.
• Victor Emejuiwe is the Programme Manager at Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, Abuja. (08068262366)