The National Population Commission (NPC) has announced the official commencement of the 2024 Verbal and Social Autopsy survey, aimed at examining the causes and factors contributing to the deaths of under-five children and women of reproductive age in Nigeria. Nasir Kwarra, the NPC Chairman who revealed this information during a press briefing in Abuja, explained that the initiative aims to gather vital data to guide interventions and policies that might drastically lower the nation’s concerning child and Maternal Death rates. In his speech, the NPC Chairman underlined the pressing need for evidence-based approaches to address the issues facing the country’s healthcare system.
Kwarra explained that the study will be carried out in households where consent was obtained and deaths were documented during the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) in 2023–2024. For this thorough investigation, a total of 4,879 cases—including 2,537 cases of under-five mortality—have been selected. 26 teams of interviewers, each consisting of four female interviewers, a team supervisor, and a quality manager, will be deployed nationwide to collect both qualitative and quantitative data for the study. The team will collect data on neonatal, infant, and Child Mortality by analyzing the cultural, behavioral, socioeconomic, and health system aspects that contribute to deaths among women of reproductive age and children under five.
State-of-the-art technologies will be employed for the survey.
Based on recent statistics, Nigeria continues to have some of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in the world, with an estimated 512 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and 117 child deaths per 1,000 live births. These numbers highlight the country’s terrible maternal and child health situation and the necessity of focused intervention. The study will be carried out in all 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory with the goal of offering comprehensive insights into the root reasons of high mortality rates.
It will also concentrate on factors like the occurrence of diseases that may be prevented, the availability of trained birth attendants, the accessibility of medical services, and vaccination coverage. To ensure precise and timely data collection, the survey will make use of state-of-the-art technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mobile data collection tools. Enumerators are trained to directly gather data from households, medical facilities, and local authorities, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This method seeks to provide a comprehensive view of the issues pertaining to mother and child health in both urban and rural regions, where access to healthcare differs greatly.
Areas requiring immediate attention would be pinpointed.
One of the survey’s main objectives is examining differences in death rates among Nigeria’s various regions. As per preliminary data, the northern states are mostly disproportionately affected by maternal and infant mortality due to factors like shortage of qualified healthcare personnel, cultural barriers to seeking medical attention, and poor healthcare infrastructure. The survey’s goal is to pinpoint specific areas that need immediate attention by comparing trends across states. The 2024 VASA Study is the third series of the critical surveys designed to identify the causes of Nigeria’s high rates of maternal and infant mortality.
This comes after comparable research was done in 2014 and 2019, highlighting the nation’s unrelenting commitment to reduce preventable fatalities and enhance Public Health outcomes. The initiative has received support from partners and stakeholders. They recognized the survey as an essential first step in the efforts to achieve global health goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on lowering maternal and infant mortality. The chairman of the NPC also urged the public to support survey administrators, emphasizing that their involvement is essential to getting reliable data.
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He further assured the public that the information gathered would solely be utilized for planning and policymaking, and that stringent safeguards would be in place to ensure the privacy of those who responded. These results will be used as a foundation for updating current regulations and creating new approaches to address identified flaws. There are strong expectations that the survey’s results would offer a strategic road map for enhancing maternal and child health outcomes in Nigeria. The government and its partners hope to establish a healthcare system that guarantees no woman or child is left behind by tackling the systemic issues identified by the survey.