Isiyaku Ahmed
The African Perinatal Society (APS), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bayero University Kano (BUK) and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) have called for stronger collaboration, research and capacity building to reduce maternal and perinatal deaths across Nigeria and Africa.
The stakeholders made the call on Wednesday at the 2nd International Congress on Ultrasound and Perinatal Medicine organized by the APS in Kano.
Speaking to journalists at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano, the APS President, Professor Aliyu Labaran Dayyabu, said the conference was designed to strengthen healthcare capacity and equip frontline health workers with the skills needed to improve outcomes for mothers and newborns.
Prof. Dayyabu, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and lecturer at Bayero University, said the APS was established in 2016 at the invitation of the then President of the International Academy of Perinatal Medicine.
He said the society was registered in Nigeria the same year and held its maiden congress in Kano.
According to him, the current congress has brought together perinatologists, obstetricians and other healthcare professionals from Africa and beyond to develop practical strategies for addressing the high burden of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
He said delegates from Sudan, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, the United States and other countries were participating in the conference.
Prof. said the congress commenced with specialised training in perinatal medicine, including fetal heart examination, fetal Doppler studies and other aspects of fetal assessment.
He noted that the training was deliberately extended beyond doctors in secondary and tertiary facilities to include nurses, midwives and healthcare workers from primary healthcare centres and rural communities.
He said the approach was aimed at improving the quality of care available to pregnant women and newborns at the grassroots.
Prof. Dayyabu identified inadequate access to quality healthcare as one of the major factors contributing to maternal and newborn deaths in many communities.
“We are not saying that we are going to achieve 100 per cent, but at least some percentage reduction would be achieved if the participants really utilise what they have learned,” he said.
The APS president also disclosed that some international participants donated medical equipment, which was distributed free of charge to healthcare facilities in need.
He described the donations as one of the major outcomes of the congress, adding that international partners had agreed to return periodically from August 2027 to conduct three-day training programmes for frontline healthcare workers.
Prof. Dayyabu further disclosed that the partners had expressed interest in establishing research collaborations with the APS.
He said the proposed collaborations would promote knowledge exchange, generate new research findings and facilitate the translation of evidence into clinical practice.
He expressed optimism that sustained training, equipment support and research partnerships would contribute to improving maternal and newborn healthcare and reducing preventable deaths across Africa.
“We have achieved quite a lot, and we are still going to get more,” he said.
UNICEF Backs Capacity Building
In his goodwill message, the Health Manager, UNICEF Kano Field Office, Dr Serekeberehan Seyoum Deres, Health Manager, UNICEF Kano Field Office, commended the APS for promoting excellence in maternal, fetal and neonatal health through research, training and collaboration.
Dr. Deres said the congress had provided an important platform for healthcare professionals, researchers and policymakers to exchange knowledge, explore innovations and strengthen partnerships for improved perinatal care.
He particularly praised the emphasis on capacity building, practical skills development and the application of modern technologies, including ultrasound and telemedicine.
According to Dr. Deres, the scientific presentations and hands-on training would strengthen the healthcare system, improve the capacity of frontline health workers and accelerate efforts to reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria and across Africa.
He congratulated the organizers and wished participants successful deliberations and networking.
BUK Seeks Obstetrician-Neonatologist Partnership
Also speaking, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Management Services, Bayero University Kano, Professor Aliyu Mu’azu, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, congratulated the APS on the conference.
Mu’azu, who spoke on behalf of the African Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy, described the congress theme, “Transforming Perinatal Outcomes Through Obstetrics and Neonatal Partnership,” as relevant to addressing maternal and newborn health challenges.
He stressed the need for closer collaboration between obstetricians and neonatologists, saying both specialties must work together to improve outcomes for mothers and babies.
“The only way we can address the problems of maternal and neonatology is when we work together as one in partnership,” he said.
AKTH Unveils Neonatology Nursing Program
Representing the Chief Medical Director of AKTH, Professor Abdurrahman Abba Sheshe, Dr Halima Kabir, Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (Training), conveyed the hospital’s support for the congress.
She said the CMD could not attend due to official commitments but had expressed his full support for the initiative.
She recalled the longstanding partnership between AKTH and the APS, particularly their collaboration during the first International Congress held in Kano in 2016.
According to her, the partnership has contributed to collaboration in research, training and efforts to improve maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes in Northern Nigeria and the country at large.
Dr. Kabir announced that AKTH was establishing a Neonatology Nursing Program under its College of Nursing Sciences to address the shortage of specialized healthcare personnel.
She said the program would produce highly skilled nurses to work in the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), alongside perinatologists and neonatologists.
She also announced plans by the hospital to establish a School of Biomedical Engineering to ensure sustainable maintenance of advanced medical equipment, promote in-house innovation and train engineers to support clinical departments.
Dr. Kabir stressed that sophisticated ultrasound and perinatal equipment could only improve healthcare outcomes if they were functional and properly maintained.
She reaffirmed AKTH’s commitment to collaboration with the APS and other institutions in training, research, and service delivery to advance perinatal healthcare in Nigeria and across Africa.
She expressed optimism that the congress would generate innovations and partnerships capable of saving more mothers and newborns.
