As Nigeria joins the world to commemorate this year’s World Pneumonia and Prematurity Day, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Ishaq Salako says over 700,000 preventable under-five deaths occur annually in Nigeria.
Dr. Salako stated this in Abuja during a ministerial press briefing to commemorate the 24th World Pneumonia Day and the World Prematurity Day, with the aim to raise awareness about the pressing health issues affecting newborns and children under the age of five in the country.
Dr. Salako who pointed out the grim reality of child mortality, noted that the nation accounts for 16% of global under-five deaths.
He further explained that one in every eight Nigerian children dies before their fifth birthday, primarily from preventable and treatable diseases like pneumonia.
The minister further reiterated the Federal Ministry’s commitment to scaling up proven interventions to address the issue.
Dr. Salako also commended the Christian Health Association of Nigeria for donating 400 Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices for distribution to health facilities nationwide.
Earlier, the Director of Family Health Department at the Ministry, Dr. Benjamin Ukaire, expressed concern over the findings of the preliminary report of the 2023-2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey which indicate a rise in neonatal mortality rates from 39 per 1,000 live births in 2018 to over 40 per 1,000 live births in 2023-2024.
Dr. Ukaire described the trend as unacceptable and attributed it to complications arising from pneumonia and prematurity, particularly among vulnerable newborns.
The Country Director, World Health Organization, WHO, Dr. Walter Mulomba represented by the Team led Universal Health Coverage, Dr. Mary Brantuo reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to reducing the impact of pneumonia and prematurity on Nigerian children.
She urged stakeholders to align with this year’s theme “Access to Quality Care Everywhere” and “Partnership for Progress” to intensify efforts to achieve better outcomes in child health in the country.
