Abuja, 5 April 2005-- The developed countries of the world and Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) have been called upon to provide more resources for health, especially to African countries, so as to enable Africa achieve the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo made the appeal in Abuja, Nigeria, at a joint Ministerial media briefing to mark this year's World Health Day in the country.

Dr. Sambo lamented that though health is a human right, this is not yet the case for many women and children in Africa. He said therefore that the theme of this year's World Health Day -Healthy Mothers and Children - is a message of hope for mothers, children and newborns.

The Regional Director noted that maternal and child morbidity and mortality rates, which are unacceptably high in Africa, reflect the country's level of development and state of health system performance. He added that opportunities exist at country level (through health sector reforms), at regional level (through the New Partnership for Africa's Development) and global level (through the Millennium Development Goals) to reverse this negative trend.

In developing countries, pregnancy and childbirth are one of the leading causes of death for women of reproductive age, and one child in 12 does not reach his or her fifth birthday. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia account for about 99% of more than half a million mothers who die in childbirth and 10.6 million children under the age of five years who die from a handful of preventable and treatable conditions.

Dr. Sambo commended Nigeria for embarking on its health sector reform and reiterated WHO's commitment to work with Member States to change the situation of women and children in the Region. He drew attention to the Road Map to accelerate the attainment of MDGs related to maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality in Africa, developed by the Member States and partners, in collaboration with the African Union, and urged countries to adopt and implement it, as, according to him, "its implementation, would in a few years, change the current indicators of maternal and child morbidity and mortality in the Region".

In his address, the Nigerian Minister of Health, Professor Eyitayo Lambo said the well being of societies is directly linked to the health and survival of mothers and children, as "when both mothers and children survive and thrive, the society in which they live prospers". He therefore called on households, communities, government and international bodies to give health of women and children a higher priority.

In Nigeria, the neonatal mortality rate is 48 per 1000 births, infant mortality rate is 100 per 1000 births, under-five mortality rate is 210 per 1000 live births while maternal mortality rate is 800 per 100,000 live births.

The Minister added that in an attempt to redress this problem, "the Federal Ministry of Health has embarked on a comprehensive government-led Health Sector Reform programme, whose goal is to position the health sector to provide quality, effective, efficient and affordable health services, which will improve the health status of all Nigerians, especially the women and children, who are the most vulnerable".

In lending credence to the fact that the provision of health is multi-sectoral, the media briefing was also addressed by the Ministries of Agriculture, Education and Women Affairs. Goodwill messages were given by development partners, notably UNICEF and USAID as well as the International Pediatric Association.

Other activities to commemorate World Health Day in Nigeria include advocacy visits, media and sensitization programmes, launching of the World Health Report 2005 and The Great Debate.

For more information, please contact 
Austine Oghide, WHO, UN House, Diplomatic Zone, Central Area District, Abuja. 
Tel: 08034022390. 
Email: oghidea [at] who-nigeria.org (oghidea[at]who-nigeria[dot]org)