The Senate has decried the alarming rate of maternal and infant mortality in the country and directed its Committees on Women Affairs and Health to liaise with the Federal Ministries of Women Affairs and Health on ways to check the trend.

A motion to that effect was sponsored by the lawmaker representing Kogi North, Senator Ahmed Ogembe, on Tuesday during plenary.

Presenting the motion, Ogembe noted that statistics have shown that, every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age and is the second largest contributor to the under-five and maternal mortality rate in the world.

He expressed concern that research has shown that essential interventions reaching women and babies on time is capable of averting most of these deaths.

“A woman’s chance of dying from complications during pregnancy and delivery in Nigeria is 1 in 10 births. Although many of these deaths are preventable, the coverage and quality of health care services in Nigeria have continued to fail women and children.

“Less than 20% of health facilities in Nigeria offer emergency obstetric care and only 30% of deliveries are attended by skilled birth attendants.

“Also under the Federal Ministry of Health; there is the National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (NSPAN, 2014-2019).”

The lawmaker added that preventable or treatable infectious diseases such as Malaria, Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Measles and HIV/AIDS account for more than 70% of these deaths.

According to him, malnutrition is the underlying cause of morbidity and mortality of a large proportion of pregnant women, newborn and children under-five in Nigeria.

The motion was approved when out to a voice vote.

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