The Nasarawa State House of Assembly on Sunday, says it will enact a law to give family planning programmes full legal backing in the state to effectively tackle maternal mortality.
 
Alhaji Mohammed Opkede (PDP-Doma North), Chairman, House Committee on Health, disclosed this in Akwanga at the end of 3-day workshop on “Development of the Nasarawa State Costed Implementation plan for Family Planning.”

Mrs Adejoke Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the Government on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) says the office will collaborate with stakeholders to attain zero under five mortality by 2030.
 
Adefulire gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja at a national workshop organised by the Association of Female Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AFMLN) with the theme; “Contributing to SDG three by improving child and maternal health through enlightenment and education.
 

Every year, Nigeria loses an estimate of 59,000 women to predictable and easily prevented deaths. Each week, 1,131 women die in childbirth. In the last seven days, 1,131 Nigerian families have lost mothers, friends, sisters and daughters to pregnancy.  Every week, more children are forced to grow up without mothers, and are subjected to the difficulties that entails. These children are more likely to die before their fifth birthday.

Nigeria is ranked 7th among 57 countries classified as facing a critical shortage of health workers, it was learnt Tuesday
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According to the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole the country has a shortage of 144,000 health workers.  Nigeria is ranked second in Africa behind Ethiopia with 152,000.
 
Presently, the country boasts of 240,000 nurses and midwives and by 2030 the country will be needing 149,852 doctors and 471,353 nurses and midwives.