Dr. Livinus Miapkwap, Executive Secretary of the Plateau Primary Health Care Board (PSPHCB), has expressed worries over the increasing maternal and infant mortality in the state.

Miapkwap said at a press briefing, on Thursday, in Jos that the situation required prompt action in the interest of the people.

He said that the primary healthcare system in the country was fraught with challenges, saying that such had militated against service delivery.

The executive secretary said that challenges such as manpower shortage, infrastructure deficit, and scarcity of commodities have had adverse effect on the system.

“These challenges are here with us in Plateau; it has made progress in reproductive, maternal, and infant healthcare delivery very difficult,’’ he said.

Miapkwap said that the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey report of 2018 showed a slow trend of progress in family planning, skilled birth attendants, and infant nutrition.

He said that the situation made the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency declare a state of public health concern on maternal, newborn, and child deaths in 2019.

“As a result of this development, a state of emergency has also been declared in Plateau with the inauguration of a 41-member State Emergency Maternal and Child Health Intervention Centre,’’ he said.