Nigeria must fix primary healthcare for child survival — Ms Cristian Munduate

The United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Cristian Munduate has emphasised the critical role of a robust primary healthcare system in tackling childhood illnesses and ensuring healthy development in Nigeria.

Mundate who stressed the need to address gaps in the current healthcare system said: “Guaranteeing a healthy future for Nigerian children and improving under-five mortality rates requires fixing the primary healthcare system.”

The UNICEF Representative spoke to Good Health Weekly on child survival shortly after she handed over a solar-powered oxygen plant with a Level 2 Neonatal Unit to the Oyo State Government, last week.

She highlights the importance of ensuring accessible and well-equipped primary healthcare facilities throughout the country.

Excerpts:

Biggest challenges in preventing childhood diseases

“Immunisation is essential, but to truly improve child health in Nigeria, we need to strengthen primary healthcare. This requires amplifying the issue not just with the government, but also with communities, religious leaders, and traditional leaders. Their involvement is crucial to ensure children receive preventive healthcare, including vital immunization and proper nutrition.

“Now the country is having a complicated situation on food security, but mothers should take their children to the health facilities. And when I say health facilities, not hospitals. They have to go at ward level to the primary health clinic to screen their child and to make sure the child is okay. If it is not okay, the child will receive attention, and therapeutic food so that they can survive.”

She said another factor that is needed is for people to understand that open defecation contributes highly to the death of people not only of children but of adults.

Munduate explained that open defecation leads directly to cholera and can be fatal. “Every community should prioritize establishing latrines to ensure basic sanitation. While upgraded facilities are ideal, even basic latrines significantly improve public health in many Nigerian communities.”

Closing the Healthcare Gap

She noted that Nigeria is facing a critical challenge: a lack of accessible healthcare facilities, particularly at the ward level, adding that with a booming population of over 200 million and 8 million births annually, the shortage directly impacts child survival rates.

She added that without readily available primary healthcare centres, countless children miss out on essential services like immunizations and it leaves them vulnerable to preventable diseases that can be deadly.

“Alarmingly, Nigeria has one of the world’s lowest immunization rates, putting countless children at risk. While government investment in healthcare infrastructure is crucial, it’s not the sole answer. Vaccine hesitancy, fueled by misinformation and mistrust, also plays a significant role. This is where we, as social communicators, can make a real difference.”

Immunisation gaps

She recalled that the recent diphtheria outbreak, with cases primarily in unvaccinated children aged 8-12, underscores the urgency in addressing vaccine hesitancy, adding that it is not just about government action but parents also have a crucial responsibility to ensure their children receive proper vaccinations.

Munduate, while acknowledging as vital the efforts of several states and the Minister of Health’s sector-wide approach, said the success hinges on all stakeholders fulfilling their roles.

She said the media must advocate, parents must vaccinate, and the government must invest, insisting that “only through this collective responsibility can we create a future where preventable diseases no longer threaten children’s lives”.

Breastfeeding: A Powerful Start for Child Health

Munduate who notes that the best way to nourish a child in the first two years of life was through breastfeeding, added that, many women don’t breastfeed for different reasons that are not scientifically proven.

“If you do exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and then complimentary breastfeeding for the next one year and a half, you are guaranteeing your child is immunised because this is what it’s all about. Maternal milk helps the immunisation and nutrition of the child.

“There is no other food in the first six months that can provide what the maternal milk provides.”