The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has launched the neonatal component of its comprehensive emergency obstetrics and neonatal care programme in Kano.
The agency said this in a statement on Monday.
It said the move, aimed at reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths, was unveiled at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the NHIA and the hospital.
NHIA Director-General, Kelechi Ohiri, stated that the neonatal intervention is based on the success of the maternal component of the programme, which is already operational in over 200 facilities nationwide.
Ohiri was represented by the NHIA Director of the Informal Sector Department, Sikiru Salaudeen.
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He said that more than 14,000 women had benefited from the maternal services since inception, with Kano State accounting for about 40 percent of the beneficiaries.
“The neonatal component will focus on birth asphyxia, neonatal sepsis, neonatal jaundice and acute surgical emergencies.
“To ensure accountability, independent external verifiers have been engaged to monitor the programme,” he said.
He said that while Lagos State piloted the neonatal services in four facilities representing the South-West, Kano State would also host four hospitals for the pilot scheme.
He listed the facilities as the AKTH, Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, and Khalifah Shiek Isiyaka Rabiu Paediatric Hospital.
Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee at the AKTH, Abdurahman Suwaid, who represented the chief medical director, commended NHIA for expanding its scope of services.
Suwaid disclosed that the AKTH had treated 972 women under the maternal arm of the initiative, describing the hospital as the largest holder of NHIA beneficiaries nationwide.
The state Commissioner for Health, Abubakar Yusuf, witnessed the signing of the agreement and pledged the state government’s continued support for maternal and child health programmes.
The programme, introduced by the NHIA, is designed to provide timely, life-saving interventions for women and newborns facing complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period.
It covers emergency obstetric care such as caesarean sections, management of eclampsia, severe bleeding, obstructed labour, and treatment of infections.
Meanwhile, experts said that the country continues to face high maternal and neonatal mortality rates, with an estimated 82,000 maternal deaths and 262,000 neonatal deaths recorded annually, according to UN data.
The initiative is therefore seen as a critical intervention to bridge service delivery gaps, particularly for vulnerable populations who cannot afford specialised care.
By adding the neonatal arm, the NHIA aims to provide a continuum of care, from safe pregnancy and delivery to the survival and well-being of the newborn.
