CHAMPS urges timely reporting of under-five and stillbirth deaths in Bauchi
By Maisaje Wakili
The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) programme at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, has called on residents to provide timely and accurate information on under-five and stillbirth deaths to help determine their causes and improve maternal and child healthcare.
The Bauchi Lead for Community Engagement of CHAMPS, Dr Jamilu Yaya, made the call during a one-day stakeholder engagement workshop attended by more than 90 participants at SULGAD Hotel, Bauchi.
Dr Jamilu Yaya explained that the programme’s laboratory workstream plays a critical role in identifying the causes of deaths, providing reliable information on pregnancy and childbirth, and supporting Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS) activities to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
He disclosed that since its inception in June 2024, the Bauchi CHAMPS programme, operating in Bauchi and Ganjuwa Local Government Areas, had enrolled 4,390 participants under its pregnancy surveillance workstream.
According to him, the programme has contributed to improving maternal healthcare by encouraging increased antenatal care attendance among pregnant women in its surveillance areas.
He added that routine data quality checks, validation and prompt resolution of identified discrepancies had also strengthened the accuracy, completeness and reliability of information collected by the programme.
However, Dr Jamilu Yaya identified low attendance at healthcare facilities, particularly in rural communities during the rainy season, as one of the major challenges facing the programme.
He noted that some pregnant women were less likely to visit clinics during the period, resulting in more deliveries taking place at home.
To address the challenges, he recommended intensified health education on maternal and child health, alongside sustained engagement with stakeholders and communities within the programme’s catchment areas.
In separate presentations, the Lead Chief Executive, Professor Muhammad Faruq Bashir; Lead Supervisor, Dr Sani Babaji; and Lead Social and Behavioural Science, Dr Magaji Dati, discussed the CHAMPS programme, community participation, and the importance of promptly reporting under-five deaths.
They also emphasised the need for respectful engagement with bereaved families, confidentiality and cultural sensitivity when gathering information about deaths.
