Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHR)’s Post

📣 Unitaid and Jhpiego have reached the first women with prevention and treatment for life-threatening bleeding in childbirth in DRC, Guinea, India and Kenya through the #AMPLIPPHI project. Every year, 14 million women hemorrhage during childbirth. Four in five resulting deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries where access to life-saving medicines is limited. Now, with an additional €5.5 million in funding from Unitaid, Jhpiego is expanding efforts to include Nigeria and Zambia. More 👉 https://ow.ly/XN2o50SxXvE

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula: A Call to Action On International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, Her Story Nigeria stands in solidarity with women and girls around the world who suffer from this debilitating condition. Obstetric fistula is a severe childbirth injury that causes chronic leakage of urine or feces, leading to physical discomfort, infections, and social stigma. It is a hole that develops between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum as a result of prolonged, obstructed labor without timely medical intervention. It occurs due to prolonged obstructed labor without timely medical intervention, and disproportionately affects young, poor, and rural women with limited access to healthcare. Understanding this condition, its impact, and the urgency of eradicating it is crucial in our mission to promote women's health and rights in Nigeria and beyond. Nigeria has one of the highest prevalences of obstetric fistula, with approximately 13,000 new cases occurring annually and over 150,000 women living with untreated fistula. The impact of this condition is devastating, affecting not only physical health but also emotional well-being, social status, and economic opportunities. Women with fistula often face rejection, isolation, and economic hardship due to the stigma associated with their condition. Eradicating obstetric fistula requires a multi-faceted approach, including improving access to maternal health services, raising awareness and education, addressing child marriage and early childbearing, providing surgical treatment and rehabilitation services, and advocating for policy changes and increased investment in maternal health programs. Her Story Nigeria is dedicated to advocating for women's health and rights, including raising awareness about obstetric fistula, supporting initiatives to improve maternal healthcare access, collaborating with partners to provide support and treatment for affected women, and advocating for policies that address the root causes of this condition. On International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, Her Story Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to ending this preventable and treatable condition, ensuring that no woman or girl suffers needlessly from obstetric fistula, and promoting the right of every woman to live a healthy, dignified life. #EndFistula #MaternalHealth #HerStoryNigeria #WomensRights #ObstetricFistula #InternationalDayToEndObstetricFistula

Today marks a significant milestone for us as we launch our first policy document, advocating for the adoption of the HelpMum Africa Clean Birth Kit across all primary healthcare systems in Nigeria. At HelpMum Africa, we have successfully reached thousands of pregnant women with our clean birth kits, and through this journey, we have gathered valuable lessons and developed effective distribution strategies. These insights can serve as a guide for government adoption, ensuring wider accessibility and impact. The next phase of this is to collaborate with advocacy groups to identify essential strategies for engaging the right stakeholders. This collaboration will help us push for a more effective and sustainable distribution framework for the clean birth kit across all primary health centers in Nigeria. HelpMum Africa recognize and appreciate the ongoing efforts within the Federal Ministry of Health to provide every mother with a clean birth kit through initiatives like the Mama Kit program. Our policy document is designed to complement these efforts by offering recommendations to ensure that the distribution process is equitable, efficient, and properly monitored. You can access our policy paper on clean birth kits through the link below: https://lnkd.in/dZYrFKH4

Remedial Health (YC W22) Oredola Smith (SPHRI) FUTURE ASSURED Did you know that 57,000 mothers died from pregnancy and complications during childbirth in 2023 alone? Did you also know that Nigeria has the second highest maternal, stillbirth and neonatal deaths in the world followed by India? I’m sure you don’t know that Nigeria represents 2.4% of the global population, yet it contributes 10% of the global maternal mortality ratio. Ironically, the reasons for these include but not limited to multidimensional poverty, consumption of counterfeit drugs, insecurity and poor rural roads. That is why Remedial Health is leaving no stone unturned to ensure adequate supply of quality and affordable pharmaceutical products to every nooks and crannies of Nigeria at no freight rate, regardless of the route. Most importantly, we won’t be dettered until all the hospitals, pharmacies and primary health centers(PHCs) in the entire 36 states and 774 local governments have access to pharma products that will improve our healthcare system and reduce maternal mortality rate in Nigeria. Patronize Remedial Health today by downloading the Remedial Mobile App on Google Playstore, Place your Orders and you’ll realize that the future of Nigeria’s gestational citizens is not only Pregnant but Assured. Remedial Health Improving Quality of Life in Africa I’m #HonDre

Supporting Maternal Health 🩺 We’re proud to showcase SAFE-MUM, a groundbreaking innovation led by Musa Runde and his team from the National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja. SAFE-MUM is designed to help with the early detection of postpartum haemorrhage This simple but impactful innovation addresses one of the leading challenges in maternal health, helping to save lives when they matter most. Stop by their exhibition booth at Eagle's Square, Abuja, and see how this idea is making a difference. Together, we’re taking bold steps towards a healthier, safer future for mothers worldwide. 📅 See you at the fair! #InnovationInAction #Innov8Hub #MaternalHealth #TETFundResearchFair #HealthcareInnovation

With the rising incidence of kernicterus caused by untreated jaundice, The Wellbeing Foundation Africa recently hosted a Co-Creation Workshop with our esteemed technical partners: the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTHOFFICIALINFO LUTH), NEST360, and SCIDaR - Solina Centre for International Development and Research. Together, we finalized strategies for the launch of Project Oscar in Nigeria. This transformative project aims to detect and treat neonatal jaundice, preventing kernicterus, a severe and lifelong brain injury in newborns. Inspired by young disability advocate Oscar Anderson MBE, #ProjectOscar is part of a global initiative addressing neonatal jaundice, a preventable cause of infant mortality and lifelong disabilities. Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Project Oscar has achieved remarkable success in reducing jaundice-related fatalities through effective interventions such as phototherapy for early treatment. This global impact proves the potential of Project Oscar to save lives and establish sustainable healthcare practices here in Nigeria. Supported by our longstanding social impact partner, Reckitt, and leveraging the power of phototherapy, this project aims to save lives, prevent disabilities, and secure a healthier future for thousands of Nigerian newborns.

Since 2017, the Injectables Access Collaborative project has been dedicated to ensuring women have increased access to DMPA-SC and self-injection through data-driven technical assistance, coordination, and tools. Our latest report provides a comprehensive assessment of the supply chain system for family planning products in Malawi, identifying challenges and offering recommendations for improving system performance. Malawi has made significant strides in scaling up DMPA-SC, with 100% of eligible facilities having trained providers and 27% of DMPA-SC visits being for self-injection in 2023. This assessment, conducted in collaboration with the Malawi AC, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc., Jhpiego, JSI, inSupply Health, MOH, and local stakeholders, is crucial for promoting DMPA-SC as part of a comprehensive range of contraceptive options, thereby improving reproductive health outcomes in Malawi. Read the full report here: https://brnw.ch/21wLurD

Sanitary Pads Should be Free Statistics show that about 37 million Nigerian women and girls cannot afford essential menstrual hygiene products. Though the Finance Bill signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020 exempted sanitary pads from Value Added Tax (VAT), it has hardly affected the product’s prices, increasing from an average of N450 in 2021 to N1,500 in 2024. Nigeria has one of the highest costs of sanitary products, according to a study by PlushCare, a telehealth platform that provides virtual primary care appointments. For this research, the platform said it measured in local currencies, the cost of a one-month supply of tampons, sanitary pads, and ibuprofen medication at the cheapest available prices in 107 countries before converting prices to US dollars. Female reproductive health should be a concern for the government by subsidizing cost of sanitary pads or make it free for adolescent girls just as condom is free. #worldmenstrualHygieneday# World Health Organization UNICEF Teach For Nigeria

#Sudan: Need for Intervention as Child, Maternal Deaths Increase The war between Sudanese forces which broke out in April 2023 is resulting in one of the worst #maternal and child #health emergencies in the world. With hospitals destroyed pregnant, birthing, and postpartum women, as well as children, are dying from preventable conditions as their health needs are not being adequately met. According to a report released by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) /Doctors Without Borders, from January to August, there were 46 maternal deaths in Nyala Teaching and Kas Rural hospitals in South Darfur, where MSF teams provide #obstetric care and other services. This is more than seven percent of the total number of maternal deaths in all #MSF facilities worldwide in 2023. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dm4j5uGc

🌍 Dr. Stella Kokoricha Essiet, a #doctor with the Ministry of Health in Abuja, #Nigeria, shares an experience on the impact of malaria in her community: “Malaria or its treatment cause many pregnant women at early pregnancy to have miscarriages. The cost of antimalarials is so expensive now, and most people are usually treated up to 3 times before it can be eradicated, and get re infected within a very short time. The burden is telling on the already very fragile health systems with few health workers and low funding.” Ahead of #TeachToReach 11 on December 5-6, 2024, over 23,000 health professionals have already joined to exchange experiences and solutions. Join us to learn how #healthworkers worldwide are addressing the health challenges posed by climate change in their communities. 🌿 #Malaria #ClimateChange #ClimateRisks #GlobalHealth #SDG3 #SDG13 #TeachToReach