Source: Daily Trust
Nigeria is currently witnessing a steady reduction in the rate of child and maternal mortality Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina has said.

She said this when she received the Country Director of IPas Nigeria, Dr. Lola Mabogunje, in her office recently.

She said: "We are half way to meeting the 2015 target for infant mortality rate and one-third from the under-five mortality rate".

Maina said the number of women who die during child birth reduced drastically to 350 per 100,000 live births in 2012 as against 800 and 545 figures recorded in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

She said her ministry had provided boat ambulances to Riverine areas for the purpose of maternal mortality intervention services, distributed Mama Kits during advocacy visits to various states and supported the training of specialized Health Personnel.

She however regretted that although the number of maternal deaths had declined but that progress remained slow and there are growing disparities in knowledge about access to reproductive health care, particularly among the poor and rural women.

Country Director of IPas Nigeria, Dr. Lola Mabogunje regretted the alarming increase of rape cases in Nigeria, with 78 reported cases between January to March 2014 alone.

He said there are many more unreported cases.

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