Interfaith religious leaders in Kano State have called on men to ensure their wives register early at health facilities and attend antenatal care consistently as part of efforts to reduce maternal mortality.
The religious leaders made the call during a two-day interfaith workshop in Kano aimed at addressing barriers to maternal healthcare and strengthening community-led efforts to reduce maternal deaths.
Representatives of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, Kano State, Muhammad Lawan, and Apostle Adeyeye, who spoke at the workshop, emphasised the important role men play in protecting the health of women during pregnancy.
They urged men to support their wives in accessing antenatal services and other essential maternal healthcare interventions, stressing that early registration and regular antenatal visits could help identify complications and reduce the risk of maternal deaths.
The religious leaders also called for stronger community action to address factors contributing to maternal mortality and urged government and relevant stakeholders to intensify efforts to improve maternal healthcare services.
They pledged to use their platforms and congregations to educate men and women on the importance of antenatal care and promote interventions aimed at addressing social and religious barriers to maternal healthcare.
Speaking at the event, Senior Programme Manager, Centre for Communication and Social Impact, CCSI, Oluyemi Abodunrin, said the initiative was focused on working with religious leaders to address social and religious norms that prevent women from accessing appropriate maternal healthcare.
He said maternal mortality remained a major concern in Kano and other parts of Nigeria, stressing that women should not lose their lives simply because they are pregnant.
Mr Abodunrin explained that religious leaders were being engaged because of the trust and influence they command within their communities, which could be leveraged to encourage pregnant women and their families to seek timely healthcare.
He identified three major delays contributing to maternal deaths as delays in seeking healthcare, geographical barriers and delays within health facilities.
Also speaking, Technical Adviser, Pathfinder International, Dr Olufemi Ibitoye, described the workshop as a call to save lives through greater involvement of religious leaders in promoting maternal health.
Dr Ibitoye said the religious leaders from the 18 LGAs were brought together to discuss practical ways of contributing to the reduction of maternal mortality, including promoting antenatal care, male involvement and facility-based delivery.
He said the initiative brings together representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, and other Muslim and Christian groups, including their women’s wings.
Dr Ibitoye explained that the project is funded by the Gates Foundation and implemented by the AIM-MNCNH Investment Consortium, comprising the Africa Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy, ACEPHAP, Pathfinder International Nigeria, Centre for Communication and Social Impact, CCSI, and the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, MWAN.
The Kano State MNCH Coordinator, Mansurah Yahaya, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to developing and implementing policies and programmes aimed at reducing maternal mortality in the state.
KHADIJAH ALIYU
