A Maternal and Reproductive Health Collective programme in Lagos State, tagged: “MamaBase,” has recorded a 99.9% child survival rate for deliveries.
The groundbreaking programme, across 20 local government areas and local council development areas, was aimed at improving maternal health outcomes.
The LGAs and LCDAs covered by the report were Epe, Etiosa, Ibeju-Lekki, Alimosho, Ikorodu, Mushin, Ajeromi, Ojo, Amuwo, Kosofe, Agege, and Apapa.
The project, which was implemented between October 2023 and September 2024, registered 7,883 pregnant women, facilitated 7,473 safe deliveries, and drastically reduced maternal mortality rates among participants.
At a briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, newsmen were told that the MamaBase initiative reported a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 120 per 100,000 live births among its beneficiaries, a stark contrast to Nigeria’s national average of 1,047 per 100,000 live births.
Key achievements, according to the organisers included the enrolment of 7,883 women with 80 percent of them accessing skilled maternal care at health facilities; 60 percent attendance of ante-natal care by participants; emergency care support provided for 144 high-risk women, including coverage for life-saving cesarean sections; and 99.9 percent child survival rate for deliveries.
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The Acting Executive Director of Maternal and Reproductive Health Collective, Dr. Olajumoke Oke, who led the MRH team to the news conference, said: “By registering vulnerable pregnant women, linking them to primary health facilities, and providing free scans, tests, and emergency care, we’ve shown that systemic change is possible even in resource-limited settings.”
Testimonials from beneficiaries highlighted the programme’s life-saving role.
A participant, Mrs. K. Leger, said: “When complications arose, MamaBase covered my cesarean section at Harvey Road General Hospital.
“Without them, I don’t know how I would have survived.”
Another beneficiary of the initiative, D. Agape, stated: “They paid for my scans when I had no money—it made all the difference.”
The success of MamaBase has spurred plans to expand the programme, leveraging its framework of M.I.E.S: Monitoring, Linking, Executing, Supporting, to other high-risk states.
Dr. Oke said MRH is already in talks with Kaduna State, and has already met with stakeholders there.
The MamaBase initiative also includes: Community outreach and advocacy campaigns like: #WeMenForHer and #RunForHer; Partnerships with corporations (Sterling Bank, Oce, Adelaide Fitness) and health stakeholders; and Data-driven policy making through maternal health registries and research.
According to Dr. Oke, the MamaBase report underscores the potential of targeted interventions to reverse Nigeria’s maternal health crisis, adding: “No woman should die giving life.
“With collaborative effort, we can make this a reality.”
The organisation’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Olufunmilola Owosho, said MRHC began full implementation of the MamaBase programme across the 20 local governments in 2023, with a plan to link 5,000 women to formal healthcare within 12 months and ensure that at least 80 percent of them access maternal services at health facilities.
Owosho said by November last year, the organisation had registered 7,883 pregnant women, adding that 7,473 babies were delivered through the MamaBase initiative.
She disclosed that through the initiative, emergency care and support were given to 144 women.
She called for partnership and collaboration with the various community resources in the course of expanding the scope of the project.
Highlighting the challenges encountered during project implementation, she said many women lack health insurance and birth plan while lack of emergency transport facilities for women in labour and some social-cultural factors were impediments.
She disclosed that the Phase 11 of the project, which would be a more streamlined process, would be extended to Kaduna State, adding that it would also focus on disadvantaged communities.
The Senior Programme Manager (Research), Dr. Oluwatosin Laleye, lamented that more pregnant women die on a daily basis.
Laleye said the tragedies are driven by factors such as bleeding, infections, hypertension disorders, poverty and inequality, lack of education, and socio-cultural factors.
She said: “Pregnant women shun primary health care because of the attitude of health workers.
“They also refuse to go to the health centre because of medical costs.”
She said MRHC intervened to tackle these challenges through a detailed programme encompassing education and training of birth attendants, health education for pregnant women, home visits by community health workers, Telehealth messages, research, and advocacy.
The Senior Data Manager at MRHC, Olalekan Olagunju, said 79 percent of the targeted women delivered safely, stressing that the women also expressed satisfaction with the services rendered by the organisation.
The Research/Project Coordinator, Fehintoluwa Aluko, said the health seeking behaviour of pregnant women has to be improved through education, enlightenment, and support.
A representative of a development partner, David Lawal of Sterling Foundation, urged public spirited individuals and corporate bodies to respond to MRHC’s call for action in the interest of public welfare.
A Permanent Secretary from the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Abimbola Mabogunje, lauded the project, saying it has boosted maternal and reproductive health of targeted beneficiaries.
In collaboration with the Lagos State Government and its agencies, MRHC, in 2023 and 2024, trained 284 PHC doctors and 69 nurses on Emergency Obstetrics Care (EMOC).
It also trained 884 health care workers at the Comprehensive PHCs on Respectful Maternal Care in 2023 and another 1,078 in 2024.
These interventions strengthen health systems by ensuring high quality, and responsive care tailored to the needs of women in their communities.
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