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A professor from the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Tamarat Runsewe-Abiodun, on Tuesday revealed that achieving child health-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 in Nigeria remains a distant goal.
She noted that the country currently has the second-highest under-five mortality rate globally, with 107 deaths per 1,000 live births, closely following Niger Republic, which has 117 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Runsewe-Abiodun further explained that the ongoing mass exodus of Nigerian health workers to Europe in search of better opportunities has worsened the crisis in the health sector.
She noted that this situation has left just four doctors available to attend to every 10,000 Nigerians, a stark contrast to the World Health Organisation standard of one doctor per 600 people.
The Professor of Nutrition and Community Paediatrics stated that the child-related SDGs aim to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five by 2030.
Specific targets include reducing newborn mortality to 12 per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality to 25 per 1,000 live births globally.
While delivering the 121st inaugural lecture of Olabisi Onabanjo University at the OGD Lecture Theatre, Runsewe-Abiodun revealed that in 2022 alone, approximately five million children under five years of age died worldwide, with 57% of these deaths occurring in Africa.
She identified several challenges threatening the survival of children under five in Africa, including poverty, delayed access to medical care, lack of political will, teenage pregnancy, and armed conflicts.
Another major barrier to reducing under-five mortality, according to Runsewe-Abiodun, is the severe shortage of medical personnel caused by the ongoing emigration of health workers.
“In 2023 alone, a report from the Federal Ministry of Health revealed that 3,122 doctors left the system, with 2,134 relocating to Europe,” she explained. “A recent WHO report indicates that for every 10,000 Nigerians, there are only four doctors available, far below the WHO recommendation of one doctor for every 600 people.
“Globally, unless urgent action is taken to end preventable newborn and child deaths, Nigeria, along with many other low-income and lower-middle-income countries, will fail to meet the SDG targets.
“About 35 million children under the age of five are projected to die before 2030, with the majority coming from families in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia, and other low-income regions.”
Runsewe-Abiodun urged all levels of government to prioritise efforts to protect every newborn’s and child’s right to survival. She called for decisive action to halt the mass emigration of health workers and ensure adequate manpower for healthcare delivery.
She also recommended that paediatric training should be community-focused and called for increased funding to enable medical students to gain practical experience in underserved communities.
Additionally, she urged governments at all levels to boost health sector funding and ensure universal health coverage to help reduce the growing under-five mortality rate.
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