The Bauchi State Government, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund and with support from Global Affairs Canada, on Wednesday launched a three-day capacity-building workshop for healthcare workers to combat postpartum haemorrhage across the state.
?The train-the-trainer initiative, currently underway at the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria headquarters in Bauchi, targets an initial cohort of 24 health professionals. These participants will subsequently scale the training to 226 primary healthcare workers, including nurses, midwives, and community health extension workers, across all 20 local government areas.
?Clinical Competencies and Anaemia Mitigation
Amina Balali, Deputy Programme Manager for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health at the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, stated that the workshop is designed to equip participants with clinical and teaching competencies to improve the prevention, early recognition, and timely management of postpartum bleeding.
?’The objective is to ensure that healthcare workers acquire the necessary knowledge and practical skills to prevent postpartum haemorrhage. When prevention is not possible, they must identify it early and provide appropriate treatment according to established standards. This will help reduce the complications and deaths associated with postpartum haemorrhage among women delivering in our facilities,’ Balali said.
?She identified anaemia during pregnancy-often exacerbated by poverty and limited health literacy-as a major risk factor for postpartum haemorrhage. To mitigate it, she advocated for the introduction of multiple micronutrient supplementation to improve maternal nutrition.
?Streamlining Maternal Nutrition and Emergency Response
?Oluseyi Olosunde, Health Officer at the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, emphasised the urgency of the intervention, noting that Nigeria remains a leading contributor to global maternal mortality. He highlighted that the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has prioritised maternal mortality reduction in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
?’We have identified that postpartum haemorrhage is a major contributor to maternal mortality,’ Olosunde said. ‘UNICEF is supporting the Bauchi State Government to empower health workers and refresh their capacity around postpartum haemorrhage management. Once their capacity is enhanced, they will provide better support during delivery and postpartum services.’
?Addressing clinical indicators, Olosunde explained that blood loss exceeding 500ml during childbirth constitutes a medical emergency. While blood loss is inevitable during delivery, proper clinical management is vital to preventing fatalities. He further noted that multiple micronutrient supplementation has replaced traditional separate prescriptions of ferrous sulfate, folic acid, and multivitamins.
?’Multiple micronutrient supplementation combines all the essential micronutrients and multivitamins the body needs into a single commodity. If a woman has sufficient blood levels, the challenges associated with blood loss during childbirth are significantly minimised,’ Olosunde said.