Source: AllAfrica
With just over 930 days to the December 2015 deadline of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, Nigeria and other developing countries have been urged to strive to ensure universal access to reproductive health services and commodities.

UNFPA Executive Director, Professor Babatunde Oshotimehin, who disclosed this at the 3rd Global Conference on Women held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said the achievement of the overall goal of improving maternal health was hinged on reproductive health access.

Noting that Nigeria is not alone in not making MDG 5, the UNFPA Executive Director observed that it is an issue affecting many sub-Saharan countries.

"We still have time to make things happen, and a lot of good things are happening, but let's accelerate them and continue to affect lives of girls and women positively.

"However, the approach needed to have been different. Reduction of maternal mortality requires multi-sectoral approach. It is not health, but a whole lot more of which stakeholders must work together to ensure that happens. So to expect that the Ministry of health will lead the charge to reduce maternal mortality is being unrealistic, he told Good Health Weekly in an interview.

"When you see the way we put MDG5 together, we actually left out a significant part of maternal mortality reduction strategy which is universal access to repreoductive health services including family planning.

When the MDGs were put together in 2000, it took several years of hard work and struggle before we had MDG 5B. I want to suggest that if we had actually had MDG 5B at the beginning, maybe we would have accelerated it even more, so, I think there are many factors, but I'm glad there is an emphasis and focus on maternal mortality."

Further, Oshotimehin pointed out that the main highlight for him at the conference was the reaffirmation that women's health is central to human development.

"Whether we are talking of the MDGs going to a close or the next set of development agenda, women's health remains central," he noted.

Reacting to the documented successes and series of progress in many countries since July 2012, he observed that the progresses started earlier.

"Take the example of the Philippines which has been struggling with the reproductive health bill for 15 years, so even though it finally obtained it about two months ago, when you look at mobilization of Community Health Extension Workers, CHEWs, and the religious bodies, you would appreciate just how much we welcome the progress.

"Nevertheless, I wish to say that this is a long distance race. It is encouraging that countries are doing a lot, but we must continue to advocate to all actors to push for greater involvement.

Since 2000, Africa committed to 15 percent budget to health, but just 6 or 7 countries out of the initial 52 have actually kept to that, pledge, so the political will must be translated into resources. And the good resources must be utilized judiciously," he commented.

• Nigeria