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The Kaduna State Government has launched the State Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) Policy, TBA Guidelines, and Social and Behaviour Change Strategy for Nutrition Across the Life Course, as part of efforts to improve maternal, newborn and child health outcomes in the state.
The documents were officially launched and disseminated at an event attended by government officials, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, community representatives and other stakeholders in the health sector.
Launching the documents in Kaduna on Tuesday, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma K. Ahmed, said the launch represented another milestone in the state’s efforts to improve maternal, newborn, child, adolescent and nutrition outcomes.
Ahmed, who represented Governor Uba Sani, said the TBA policy and guidelines would provide a clear framework for regulating the activities of TBAs, defining their roles, strengthening referral pathways and linking them more effectively with the formal healthcare system.
She said the framework would prioritise safe pregnancy and childbirth, early identification of danger signs, timely referrals and increased utilisation of skilled healthcare services.
The commissioner noted that TBAs continued to play an influential role in many communities, particularly among women facing barriers to accessing health facilities, stressing that their engagement must be properly guided and regulated, with the safety of mothers and newborns as the priority.
She said the state government was intensifying efforts to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths by ensuring that pregnant women are identified early, linked to quality antenatal care and supported to deliver with skilled birth attendants.
According to her, the strategy focuses on improving maternal nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, adolescent nutrition and other healthy practices across the life course.
She, however, warned that the success of the newly launched documents would depend on their implementation rather than their mere publication.
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“I sincerely hope these documents will not remain on our shelves. They must become practical tools that guide our daily work and improve health outcomes for the people of Kaduna State,” she said.
Also speaking, UNICEF Chief, Kaduna Field Office, Dr Gerida Birukila, said behavioural change was critical to addressing malnutrition and preventable deaths in communities.
Birukila, who commended the participation of traditional and religious leaders, said they had an important role to play in influencing families to adopt healthier practices.
She urged stakeholders to intensify advocacy for exclusive breastfeeding, noting that mothers were often exposed to commercial promotion of breastmilk substitutes.
“We are counting on you to reach everyone, especially mothers and parents, with the right information on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and proper nutrition throughout the life cycle—from conception through the first 1,000 days of a child’s life and beyond,” she added.
The UNICEF official stressed that access to food alone does not guarantee good nutrition, noting that a family could be wealthy and still have a malnourished child because of poor feeding practices.
Birukila also acknowledged the continued role of TBAs in communities, urging them to understand their limitations, recognise danger signs and refer pregnant women promptly to appropriate health facilities.
The ultimate goal, she said, was to ensure better care for pregnant women and give every mother and child a better chance of survival and healthy development.
