Nigerian First Lady launches maternal health incentives
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In Abuja, Nigeria, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu began distributing incentives to pregnant women to improve maternal and newborn care, particularly in underserved communities.
The initiative, called the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Initiative (MAMII), aims to overcome financial, cultural, and logistical obstacles that prevent women from receiving care during pregnancy and childbirth. The incentives include mama kits, food packs, and newborn clothing.
Tinubu explained that MAMII intends to strengthen awareness, emergency care, and referral systems so that safe childbirth and newborn survival become standard practice for all Nigerian families. She distributed an initial 215,000 mama kits and bags, adding to 110,000 previously distributed, along with 40,000 food support packs and newborn clothing sets. Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, stated that the initiative addresses both the supply and demand sides of healthcare.
He also noted that Nigeria is making progress in maternal and newborn health but needs to maintain these gains. Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health, highlighted that recent surveys show approximately one in nineteen women in Nigeria risk dying from pregnancy-related causes, emphasizing the urgency of the program. Tinubu appealed to state and local governments, traditional leaders, and other partners to help deliver the incentives to vulnerable women and increase access to maternal health services.
