Kano's Skilled Birth Attendance at 36.3%, FCC Reports

The Faith and Cultural Champions (FCC) project raised concerns regarding the low percentage of child deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants in Kano, which stands at 36.3% according to the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). This statistic is linked to harmful social norms that hinder adolescent girls and young women from accessing quality maternal healthcare, childbirth, and child spacing services.

During a media roundtable discussion involving Muslim and Christian religious scholars and culture promoters, unhealthy behavioral patterns were identified. Usman Usman, the deputy project director in Kano, emphasized the need for public education on the importance of men supporting their spouses during prenatal and postnatal care.

The FCC highlighted a critical maternal mortality ratio in North-west Nigeria of 1,025 deaths per 100,000 births, which is double the national average of 512 deaths per 100,000 births. The project calls for religious and traditional leaders to mobilize community support for married adolescent girls and young women in utilizing health facilities and skilled birth attendance.