Borno State has achieved a significant breakthrough in maternal and child healthcare, recording a 68 per cent decline in stillbirths and a 54 per cent reduction in maternal mortality across key health facilities between 2023 and 2026.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Baba Malam-Gana, made the disclosure on Friday in Maiduguri during a retreat organised by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in collaboration with the Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (BOSCHMA).
Prof. Malam-Gana attributed the sharp decline in deaths to the implementation of the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme—a series of coordinated interventions designed to enhance maternal and newborn care and eliminate avoidable complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
The life-saving initiative was initially piloted across four major healthcare facilities in the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council:
State Specialist Hospital
Gunge Maternity
Yerwa Clinic
Mala-Kachalla Clinic
Building on this success, the commissioner revealed plans to integrate the SBBC with other maternal health initiatives, including target interventions to prevent postpartum haemorrhage. Furthermore, the state government intends to scale the programme beyond the capital to healthcare facilities across all remaining 26 local government areas.
Despite the clinical milestones, Prof. Malam-Gana voiced strong concern over the unexcused absence of certain medical doctors from public hospitals while continuing to draw regular government salaries.
To enforce discipline and ensure patient care is not compromised, the health chief announced that the state will implement a “carrot-and-stick” policy, backed by electronic attendance monitoring and direct stakeholder engagement to strengthen accountability among healthcare workers.
Medical Leadership Calls for Policy Reform and Better Conditions
The retreat, organized following the NMA’s recent elections, aimed to bolster leadership capacity within the state’s medical community. However, key professional issues were brought to the forefront.
NMA State Chairman, Dr. Kaka Ghazali, raised serious concerns regarding the complete omission of medical doctors from a recent state establishment promotion and transfer cycle, which benefited over 100 other public civil servants. While reaffirming the association’s commitment to delivering quality care, Dr. Ghazali urged the government and the public to appreciate the severe operational challenges facing medical practitioners.
Elaborating on these systemic hurdles, Dr. Saleh Kaza, Executive Secretary of BOSCHMA, highlighted a combination of factors crippling doctor retention and performance in the region, including:
High rates of professional burnout and poor remuneration
Insecurity and unsafe duty postings
Limited residency training opportunities and slow career progression
Dr. Kaza called for urgent political commitment and the removal of administrative bottlenecks that hinder medical research, specialist training, and career growth, emphasizing that strong multi-stakeholder collaboration remains vital to sustaining healthcare progress in Borno State.
