Kano’s Child Survival Crisis Deepens as UNICEF Flags High Mortality Rates
Kano State has been highlighted as a critical hotspot for child protection concerns following new data indicating persistently high maternal and child mortality rates, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. The findings, presented during a health intervention training in the state, underscore significant gaps in access to skilled healthcare services that continue to place the survival of mothers and children at risk across multiple communities.
It was reported that only about half of pregnant women in Kano State receive care from skilled health providers, while an even smaller proportion deliver under skilled supervision, raising serious safeguarding concerns for newborn survival. Health indicators further show elevated neonatal and under-five mortality rates, reflecting systemic weaknesses in primary healthcare delivery, emergency response systems, and community-level health access.
The situation has been described as a pressing public health and child protection challenge requiring urgent and coordinated intervention. Stakeholders noted that the continued reliance on unskilled birth practices and limited access to maternal and neonatal care significantly increases preventable deaths, thereby undermining children’s fundamental right to survival and early development.
In response, collaborative efforts involving the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and state authorities have been reinforced through initiatives aimed at strengthening primary healthcare systems, expanding community-based health services, and improving the availability of skilled birth attendants across affected local government areas.
Authorities and development partners emphasized that sustained investment, improved coordination, and effective implementation of maternal and child health programmes are essential to reversing current trends and ensuring that children in Kano State are better protected from avoidable health risks.
