The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Women’s Health, Dr Adanna Steinacker, on Thursday met with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Abuja to assess challenges women face in accessing healthcare.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was the third in February.
Steinacker had earlier engaged the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN) on Feb. 6, and the Coalition of Women Leaders, women’s groups and NGOs on Feb. 10.
Steinacker said highlighting women’s health is a national priority.
She explained that engaging professional associations and CSOs helps her office understand issues at the sub-national and grassroots levels.
“It is very key to invite these groups to understand policy alignment from my office, resource mobilisation, where to channel resources, and how other initiatives should work in terms of women’s health,” she said.
She noted that recurring themes from the meetings include maternal health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, menstrual hygiene, access to family planning commodities, health education, and mental health.
“I can tell you that maternal health still remains a challenge in Nigeria. Women from different organisations are sharing lived experiences from their communities.
“Reducing maternal mortality remains a priority,” Steinacker said.
She added that education should be accessible and adapted to local languages and contexts, and stressed that mental health advocacy remains urgently needed.
Steinacker emphasised the importance of targeting underserved and vulnerable populations, describing them as the groups that need health resources and services the most.
She said her office would continue engaging stakeholders to deepen understanding of women’s health challenges, adding that communication channels with CSOs had been opened, leveraging digital platforms to improve efficiency.
The SSA also announced plans to create a technical working group, with many CSOs volunteering to help implement the issues raised during the meetings.
She thanked President Tinubu for establishing the office dedicated to women’s health issues.
Earlier, Dr Mohammed Lecky, Chairman of the Health Sector Reform Coalition, highlighted challenges in the health sector affecting women.
He said delayed health financing and low awareness of health insurance exacerbate difficulties for women, urging the SSA’s office to champion health insurance enrollment for women.
Lecky also called for direct engagement with women in rural areas to better understand and amplify their health concerns, especially with elections approaching.
Speaking on women’s reproductive health and rights, Bunmi Dipo-Salami, Executive Director of Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, said many women remain unaware of their rights and lack access to information and services.
“We do not have adequate service providers for women’s reproductive health. In some hospitals, male staff attend to women’s health, highlighting a gap.
“Agencies work in silos, the Ministry of Health is not coordinating with the Ministry of Women Affairs or other relevant bodies,” she said.
Dipo-Salami added that in some communities, reproductive health services are unavailable or culturally restricted, with men sometimes preventing women from accessing care.
“These gaps must be addressed to ensure women’s health and rights are fully protected,” she added.
