Abia records lowest maternal, infant mortality rates in Q1 2026

Abia State records the lowest maternal and infant mortality rates in the first quarter of 2026, making it the best-performing State in maternal and child health in Nigeria within the period under review, Okey Kanu, the State’s Commissioner for Information, has stated.

Kanu made this known on Monday in Umuahia while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council Meeting, presided over by Governor Alex Otti.

Kanu said that the feat was recorded during the 1st quarter 2026 Performance Dialogue in the health sector, where states were assessed on key healthcare indicators.

He attributed the achievement to the State Government’s sustained investments in renovating, retrofitting and equipping 200 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) under the first phase of Project Ekwueme.

According to Kanu, 139 PHCs have so far been fully functionalised, including 77 World Bank-supported facilities, while 50 additional centres are currently being equipped.

The commissioner said that 12 more PHCs would become operational within two weeks, bringing the total number of functional PHCs in the state to 151.

He also said that healthcare delivery had improved through the state’s Digital Health Link project, with 9,136 patients enrolled on the digital platform across nine hospitals within the last 10 months.

Kanu also disclosed that enrolment under the Abia State Health Insurance Scheme had increased from 40,000 beneficiaries in December 2024 to 225,581 as of July 2026.

The commissioner revealed that the government is finalising work on the Obingwa General Hospital, which had undergone rehabilitation and expansion and is being equipped with modern digital health and telemedicine facilities ahead of its inauguration for public use.

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He also announced that Abia was leading a joint initiative involving Anambra, Delta and Akwa Ibom states to digitise immunisation records and improve vaccination tracking for children.

Kanu advised Abia residents to observe proper food hygiene and safety practices to prevent food poisoning, which he said is the focus of the Ministry of Health’s weekly public health advisory.

He added that the State had not recorded any disease of public health concern, including confirmed cases of COVID-19, Mpox, Lassa fever, Ebola, yellow fever, cholera or rabies.

Enoch Uche, a Professor and Commissioner for Health, said that the quarterly performance assessment was coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health, using data collected directly from health facilities nationwide.

Uche said that Abia recorded one maternal death in the first quarter of 2026, the same figure reported in the last quarter of 2025, which reflected sustained improvements in maternal healthcare.

The Health Commissioner added that neonatal mortality declined from nine (9) cases in the fourth quarter of 2025 to seven (7) in the first quarter of 2026.

According to him, “The improved performance validates the state government’s sustained investments in strengthening primary healthcare, which addresses about 80% of the population’s healthcare needs”.

He said that Abia, in conjunction with Delta, Akwa Ibom and Anambra states, are championing the development of a digital immunisation registry that assigns every child a unique vaccination tracking number.

He explained that the system would enable healthcare providers and schools to access a child’s vaccination history anywhere in the country and identify children requiring additional immunisation.

The commissioner said that the initiative also integrates geospatial mapping to identify communities with low immunisation coverage for targeted interventions.

He added that the project is being implemented in collaboration with the Gates Foundation and expressed confidence that the success of the initiative, could encourage its replication in Nigeria, as a national model for immunisation management.

Uche urged residents to maintain proper food hygiene and water safety practices to prevent food-borne illnesses, noting that “prevention remains the most effective public health strategy.