National Guidelines for Maternal and Perinatal Deaths Surveillance and Response in Nigeria
Guideline · Health
Guidelines establish a system for identifying, reporting, and responding to maternal and perinatal deaths across Nigeria. They target health facilities, maternal health coordinators, and community leaders to review and prevent these deaths. This seeks to lower mortality rates through better quality care.
National Guidelines for Maternal and Perinatal Deaths Surveillance and Response in Nigeria
What Is This Policy?
Guidelines that establish a system for routinely identifying, reporting, reviewing, and responding to every maternal and perinatal death in Nigeria, with the goal of understanding why these deaths occur and taking action to prevent future ones.
Who Does It Target?
Health facilities providing maternity services State and LGA maternal health coordinators Maternal death review committees Community leaders and birth attendants
What Does It Aim to Achieve?
Reduce maternal and perinatal mortality by ensuring that every death is counted, reviewed for preventable causes, and followed by concrete actions to address gaps in the quality of care.
Key Features
Mandatory Notification: All maternal and perinatal deaths must be reported within 24 hours Facility-Based Reviews: Structured death audit meetings to identify contributing factors and system failures Community Verbal Autopsy: Investigation of deaths that occur outside health facilities Response Actions: Required follow-up steps including service improvements and health worker training No-Blame Culture: Reviews focus on system improvement rather than individual punishment
Current Status
Rollout Stage: Active with progressive expansion Coverage: Health facilities with maternity services across all states Lead Agency: Federal Ministry of Health, Reproductive Health Division Partners: WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, development partners
How to Access
The guidelines are operational documents used by health facilities and maternal health teams. Health facilities receive guidelines through the state ministry of health Training workshops are conducted for maternal death review committee members Contact the Reproductive Health Division for copies and technical support
Official Resources
Website: health.gov.ng Contact: Reproductive Health Division, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja
Legal Framework
Operates under the National Health Act 2014, the National Maternal Health Policy, the Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy, and the Safe Motherhood programme. Draws on WHO guidelines on maternal death surveillance, the MDG/SDG maternal mortality targets, and the African Union Maputo Plan of Action.