Nigerian state hails declines in maternal and child deaths

Authorities in a Nigerian state have commended the success of efforts to save the lives of children and new mothers.

The Delta State Government has been working to reduce child and maternal mortality rates in recent years and its methods have started to deliver positive results.

However, health commissioner Dr Joseph Otumara has insisted that while it has exceeded the target laid out in its Millennium Development Goals, officials must not start to relax.

Indeed, he told This Day that "we do not want to rest on our laurels".

"We are striving to achieve maternal healthcare that is comparable with what is obtained in industrialised countries," he commented.

Dr Otumara said this forms part of Nigeria's efforts to establish itself as one of the world's top 20 economies by the start of the next decade.

Delta State's successes have come about largely thanks to the introduction of an auditing process, so accurate information on child and maternal fatalities regarding each community is available, which means common causes of deaths can be identified.