Tag: maternal health

  • Federal Government Unveils ‘RenewHER’ Initiative to Transform Women’s Healthcare

    Federal Government Unveils ‘RenewHER’ Initiative to Transform Women’s Healthcare

    According to Daily Post reporting on Thursday, the Federal Government has officially launched a strategic deliberative process aimed at revamping healthcare delivery for women across Nigeria. The initiative, coordinated through the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health, Dr. Adanna Steinacker, brought together over 20 prominent women’s groups at the Presidential Villa to align grassroots needs with national policy. The move is central to the “RenewHER Presidential Women’s Health Transformation Initiative,” which seeks to eliminate barriers to medical access for underserved populations.

    The program adopts a “statewide approach” to ensure that health interventions are not centralized but felt at the community level. During the stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja, officials emphasized that the primary goal is to listen to civil society and professional leaders who interact daily with women in rural areas. By fostering this collaboration, the government intends to examine existing policies, increase advocacy, and improve the actual delivery of maternal and reproductive services nationwide.

    The project emphasizes that the solutions for women’s health cannot be designed in isolation. Dr. Steinacker noted that by involving groups closest to the grassroots, the administration can better understand the specific pain points and cultural barriers that prevent women from seeking care. This coordinated framework is expected to serve as a blueprint for future health investments under the current administration’s development agenda.

    Validating this development, The Guardian reports that the initiative is a response to rising maternal mortality concerns, noting, “The RenewHER project represents a shift toward data-driven and inclusive health governance.” Similarly, Leadership highlights the involvement of international partners, quoting a health advocate who stated, “This is the first time we are seeing a dedicated presidential office focused specifically on the nuances of women’s clinical needs.”

    Echotitbits take: This initiative is a critical step in addressing Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rates. By shifting from a top-down approach to a “listening” model, the government might finally bridge the gap between policy and the reality of rural clinics. Watch for the rollout of specific funding allocations to primary healthcare centers in the coming months.

    Source: Daily Post – https://dailypost.ng/2026/02/12/nigerian-govt-initiates-strategies-to-improve-women-health/, February 12, 2026

    Photo credit: Daily Post

  • Merck Foundation and São Tomé First Lady align on healthcare capacity building and infertility stigma campaigns

    Merck Foundation and São Tomé First Lady align on healthcare capacity building and infertility stigma campaigns

    Merck Foundation and São Tomé First Lady align on healthcare capacity building and infertility stigma campaigns

    In a release distributed via APO Group and published on Africa Newsroom, Merck Foundation said its CEO and the First Lady of São Tomé & Príncipe discussed joint programmes to strengthen healthcare capacity and tackle infertility stigma.

    The conversation was framed around training, advocacy, and media engagement—using high-level convenings to keep reproductive health, maternal health, and systems strengthening on the policy radar.

    The real-world impact depends on implementation: scholarships delivered, training cohorts completed, and hospitals or institutions integrating the newly built capacity.

    Merck Foundation’s official announcement said the goal is to “strengthen healthcare” and expand training impact, while a republished report highlighted efforts to “break infertility stigma” through advocacy and community engagement.

    Echotitbits take:
    Stigma is often more damaging than the condition itself—because it delays care and drives misinformation. Watch for multilingual public campaigns, local clinician training, and integration into national reproductive health programming.

    Source: Zawya — January 2, 2026 — https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/africa-press-releases/merck-foundation-chief-executive-officer-ceo-and-sao-tome-principe-first-lady-discussed-their-joint-programs-xc03fgus

    Zawya 2026-01-02

    Photo Credit: Zawya