Stakeholders in Kaduna State have called for stronger community action to reduce maternal deaths and promote safe motherhood and child spacing.
The call was made during a media engagement involving Faith and Cultural Champions, focused on strengthening the role of religious and traditional leaders in improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes.
Chairman of the Advisory Faith and Cultural Champions, Dr. Bello Abdulkadir, says religious leaders have an important role in addressing misconceptions and harmful cultural practices surrounding maternal healthcare.
He says their influence within communities can encourage women to attend antenatal care, seek skilled delivery services and make informed decisions on child spacing.
Stakeholder Hadiza Umar also highlighted the pressure on families amid current economic challenges, stressing that child spacing should be viewed as a way of giving mothers adequate time to recover before another pregnancy.
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Religious and traditional leaders at the engagement pledged to use their platforms to promote accurate health information and encourage positive behavioural change.
They also called for greater attention to adolescent girls and young married women who remain vulnerable to complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
The stakeholders say stronger collaboration among healthcare providers, the media and trusted community leaders is essential to addressing misconceptions and reducing preventable maternal and child deaths.
