ACEPHAP trains Medical Doctors on WHO Verbal Autopsy Tool to strengthen Maternal Mortality Surveillance

Africa Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, through the Kano State Surveillance for Evidence and Policy (KASSEP) initiative, conducted a two-day training on the World Health Organization (WHO) Verbal Autopsy Tool from 15 to 16 October 2026 at ACEPHAP, Kano.

The training was aimed at equipping participants with knowledge and practical skills in conducting verbal and social autopsies, improving the quality of maternal mortality data, and supporting evidence-informed policies and interventions to reduce preventable maternal deaths.

In her opening remark, Dr. Imani Haruna, the Co PI of the KASSEP project said, “the VASA comes at a very critical time, to cement further the successes achieved by the project since its start and the inclusion of medical doctors will only strengthen the established system”. She added that, Verbal autopsy remains an important public health approach for investigating deaths that occur outside health facilities or where medical certification of the cause of death is unavailable.

The program brought together facilitators and participants for technical discussions and practical sessions on maternal mortality surveillance and data collection procedures.

The first day featured an overview of the KASSEP initiative, followed by an introduction to the WHO Verbal Autopsy Tool. Participants were guided through the structure of the verbal autopsy questionnaire, interview procedures, and approaches to determining possible causes of death. The sessions also included practical demonstrations and discussions on research ethics, particularly the importance of obtaining informed consent, maintaining confidentiality, and approaching bereaved families with sensitivity and respect.

Facilitators included Dr. Fatima Muhammad, Abdulrahman Ibrahim, Prof. Ayuba Rabi'u, and Prof. Baba Maiyaki Musa, who led sessions covering different aspects of the training.

By gathering information on symptoms, circumstances, and events preceding death, the approach helps researchers and health authorities better understand patterns of mortality and identify gaps in access to and quality of healthcare.

Taking the participants through ethics Prof. Maiyaki reiterated the issues of consent of the participants under the study. He said “they must be taken along the whole step of the process as they possess invaluable information that will be used for larger decision making for the betterment of the health system in the Kano State and Nigeria at large”.

In her closing remarks, Prof. Taiwo Amole, a deputy director at ACEPHAP said, the refresher training will greatly support improving the capacity to document, investigate, and understand maternal deaths, while supporting efforts to address preventable causes of maternal mortality in Kano State. She lauded the efforts of the participants in spending their time to participate in one of the most strategic innovations that Kano state has benefit from in terms of healthcare.

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