Maternal and Newborn Mortality in Nigeria: Coca-Cola’s Safe Birth Initiative Continues To Contribute Its Quota

Ensuring healthy lives, promoting wellbeing and better healthcare outcomes for all at all ages is one of the Sustainable Development Goals which Nigeria, along with all members of the United Nations committed to in 2015. Some of the ambitious targets are to reduce global maternal mortality and end the preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age by 2030.

In achieving this, the Coca-Cola Safe Birth Initiative campaign made a stop at the General Hospital, Alimosho, Lagos state on February 17, 2020, where equipment and supplies worth a total conservative value of about $742,000 ie over N267 Million ‬were handed over to the hospital as it seeks to improve the country’s maternal and neonatal mortality indices.

The Minister of Health represented by The Head of Department, Clinical Services, Yaba Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, appreciated the efforts of Coca-Cola’s partnership in proffering solutions to health issues and called for other corporate organizations to follow suit. In his words, “The Coca-Cola Safe Birth Initiative has been the front runner in the achievement of the third sustainable development goal (of wellbeing and health for all). This partnership has successfully built capacity across the country’s public health Institutions and today’s event marks the handover of another batch of medical deliverables to the General Hospital, Lagos”.

Speaking during the event, the Business Unit Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability Director, Coca-Cola West Africa, Clem Ugorji, said, “the Safe Birth Initiative is a part of the company’s wellbeing program to support the efforts of the government in reducing the alarming numbers of women and newborns who die from birth-related complications every day. The initiative was born out of the company’s desire to ensure mums and babies come home alive as part of the company’s effort towards building sustainable communities where we live and work.

The current figures for maternal, neonatal and under age 5 mortality are 576 per 100,000 live births, 37 per 1000 live births and 128 per 1000 live births respectively. It is estimated that Nigeria accounts for 25% of Africa’s neonatal mortalities and also estimated that about 80% of these deaths are preventable.

In this regard, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) made plans in partnering with interested private sector firms and stakeholders in building capacity to tackle lack of healthcare services related deaths, and Coca-Cola whose belief is that “business is only as sustainable as the communities in which they operate” has keyed into partnership with the sustainable development goals office.

This strategic partnership birthed the Coca-Cola Safe Birth Initiative which has received recommendations from the SDGs office and continues to contribute to the attainment of sustainable development goals.

The Safe Birth Initiative is a multifaceted project aimed at addressing the fundamental issues leading to the high maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the county through its key intervention scheme. Rather than treating the symptoms, it had adopted a cure-the-disease approach. The approach is focused on strengthening the capacity of public hospitals through the Equip, Train and Repair intervention scheme as well as creating awareness of safe pregnancy practices and effective care for newborns.

Speaking on behalf of the Governor of Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the inauguration ceremony, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mrs Folasade Jaji said;“The Lagos State Government commends and thank the management of Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited for these very wonderful initiative aimed at strengthening our capacity to address the issue of maternal and newborn mortality in Nigeria”.

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Dr. Madewa Adebajo, Medical Director of Alimosho General Hospital, also commented; “We are here today, having received two container loads of medical equipment and consumables. We thank Coca-Cola and Medshare as this will go a long way to complement our efforts towards the safe delivery of our mothers and newborns.”

Prior to the Alimosho visit, the Federal Medical Centre Ebute Metta and the National Hospital, Abuja received a total of Six forty feet containers of medical equipment, kits and supplies courtesy of the Safe Birth Initiative.

In addition, a 2-week training session was organized for Biomedical Engineers and technicians at the School of Biomedical Engineering of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in a bid to upskill the Biomed engineers and technicians’ capability in tackling preventable mothers and infants’ deaths through equipment uptime.

The inauguration ceremony had a number of dignitaries  present. Among these dignitaries were the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji, the Honorable Commissioner of Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akinola Abayomi, Director Biomedical Engineering and Training Services, Medshare International, USA, Eben Amstrong, Personal Physician to His Excellency, the Vice President, Dr Nicholas Audiffren and The Traditional Ruler of Shasha Kingdom, Alimosho, Oba Babatunde Akanbi Ogunrobi.

The Coca-Cola Safe Birth Initiative is a social investment from Coca-Cola Nigeria in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) geared at proffering sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenge of bringing mums and babies home alive.