The government of Lagos State has released a statement outlining plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the number of stillbirths and deaths of newborns in the state.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, the “Lagos State Every Newborn Action Plan” was developed in accordance with the Nigerian Every Newborn Action Plan and the Lagos State Strategic Health Development Plan II. The document was unveiled and distributed to health sector stakeholders at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, spoke at the document’s unveiling and said that the LaSENAP document is meant to scale up evidence-based and cost-effective interventions that will serve as a concerted effort towards translating global, national, and state commitments into meaningful change for newborns.
According to Ogboye, implementing LaSENAP will help reduce neonatal mortality in Lagos and Nigeria because it was created in accordance with NiENAP and SSDPII, using 10 thematic areas and presenting the intervention packages necessary to improve newborn health through a four-pronged approach.
He stated that the development of the state health system in providing quality maternity and newborn care is consistent with the gains made over the years in improving maternal and child health indices in Lagos State.
During the policy document’s unveiling, Ogboye called on all government agencies, development partners, civil societies, the private sector, and other stakeholders to work with the Ministry of Health to raise funds for the plan’s full implementation.
