The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Women’s Health, Dr Adanna Steinacker, has emphasized the need for stronger collaboration and institutional partnerships among key stakeholders to enhance health outcomes for women and girls across Nigeria.
Speaking during a meeting with the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Dr Steinacker stated that Nigeria’s size and large population make women’s health a collective national responsibility, rather than the task of a single office or individual.
She highlighted maternal health as a major focus of her office, noting that high maternal mortality rates in some regions remain a serious concern. According to her, priorities also include family planning and mental health awareness, with planned interventions to be implemented through existing institutions and professional bodies to prevent duplication of efforts.
“The goal is to align, strengthen systems and ensure sustainable locally owned programmes that improve women’s health without duplicating existing efforts.
“This is the first time there’s an office for women’s health. We are looking to fill the gaps of accurate advocacy, raising health literacy. and maternal health, sexual and reproductive health, as well as mental health.
Dr Steinacker pointed out that digital media and advocacy will be a national voice for women’s health, relying on organisations like MWAN to collect accurate information and distribute them among their networks, programmes and campaigns.
“We need digital media and advocacy to improve health literacy, geopolitically anchored campaigns on maternal, sexual and reproductive, and mental health, and high-level summits and coalition-building with government, civil society, the private sector, and global partners.”
In her response, the President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, MWAN, Dr Zainab Kwaru Muhammed, said the body has a strong network across Nigeria and is well disposed to help the federal government achieve its objectives through Tinubu.
She highlighted MWAN’s ongoing initiatives on maternal and child health and said support from the presidency through Tinubu would enhance their reach and effectiveness.
“We believe we have a ready tool to carry out campaigns, we have a strong network across the states. We look forward to engaging with your office to carry this out. As medical women, we’re in the digital age and need resources to carry out campaigns.”
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