The maternal mortality rate in Sokoto, even with the claimed reduction, is still high.

The Sokoto State Government on Thursday said that the maternal mortality rate in the state had reduced to 145 in every 100,000 live births since 2012.

Ibrahim Jibril, Special Adviser to Governor Aliyu Wammako, said this in Sokoto in a message during the opening of a two-day capacity building workshop on accessing obstetric services.

He said before 2012, the infant mortality rate in the state was 185 deaths in every 100,000 live births.

Mr. Jibril who was represented by the Executive Secretary, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Sani Labaran, said the reduction followed proactive measures adopted by the state government to redress the ugly trend.

He added, ’’these are bad indices which we are working diligently to redress.’’

“Everything possible is also being done to improve the number of health facilities across the state, while accessibility and affordability are also being emphasised.

“That was why the state government had since introduced free medical care for all pregnant women and children under five years, including the mobile ambulance and rural medicare programmes, among others.’’

Also, the state’s Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Abubakar Danchadi, said the workshop was aimed at raising awareness among the populace on accessing obstetric services, including ante-natal and post-natal care.

“The participants are expected to step down the message to the husbands to imbibe and inculcate the culture of allowing their pregnant wives to attend health facilities, so as to reduce maternal deaths.

“NOA being an organ of value re-orientation and attitudinal change observes with dismay how pregnant women were neglected especially in our rural communities without given due to medical consideration.

“This eventually results in many loss of lives of thousands of women of child bearing age,’’ he said.

The Chairman, Social Mobilisation Committee, Bello AbdulRauf, who is also the District Head of Bodinga, stressed the need for mothers to exclusively breast-feed their newborns.

“Nothing protects the life of a new born baby better than exclusive breast feeding in the first six months of life.

“Children have the right to be protected against abuse and neglect, even if their family is wretched,’’ the traditional ruler, added.

The event was organised by NOA in collaboration with UNICEF “C’’ Field Office, Kaduna, for faith-based, community-based and civil society organisations in the state.

(NAN)