Nigeria’s Maternal Mortality ratio is 1,047/100,000 live-births, representing the highest number of maternal deaths with approximately 82 000 deaths, and accounts for more than a quarter (28.5 per cent) of all estimated global maternal deaths in 2020, writes Ugo Aliogo
Every two minutes, one woman dies globally during pregnancy or childbirth, according to recent report by United Nations (UN) agencies.
The Nigeria Health Watch, a non-profit organisation, says community Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) will help to reduce maternal deaths rate in the country.
Mrs Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director, Nigeria Health Watch, made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says maternal mortality or death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days after the delivery or termination of a pregnancy.
The Federal Government, yesterday, revealed that the country’s maternal mortality rate currently stood at 512 deaths per 100,0000 live births, while neonatal mortality rate stood at 39 per 1,000 live births and under age mortality rate 132 per 1000 live births.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, made the revelations while addressing newsmen after defending the 2021 budget of her office.
In Nigeria today, it’s alarming the rate at which women die at childbirth, especially in rural areas. It has been likened to an airplane crashing daily. The urgency of fighting this national embarrassment as opposed to sweeping it under the carpet cannot be over emphasised. Generally, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), ‘Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia accounted for approximately 86 percent (254 000) of the estimated global maternal deaths in 2017.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), through its National Emergency Maternal and Child Health Intervention Centre (NEMCHIC), has organized capacity building workshop for Program Managers (PMs) and Zonal Technical Officers (ZTOs) of State Emergency Maternal and Child Health Intervention Centre (SEMCHIC) in Nigeria.
To reduce incidents of maternal and neo-natal mortality in the Southwest region of the country, Rotary District 9110, has trained family planning providers in selected secondary health facilities Ogun, Lagos and Oyo States.
Dr. Uchenna Emelonye is the Country Representative of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Liberia, having previously served in the same capacity in Uganda. Emelonye is also visiting professor of Human Rights law at several European universities. In this interview with ROBERT EGBE, he speaks on the underreported but critical issue of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria.
To reduce maternal and child mortality, family planning has been identified as the most cost-effective means to improve the health of mothers in Nigeria.
The Zonal Coordinator, Nationwide Family Planning Campaign, Adeniji Raji made the remark at its inaugural meeting held in Lagos.
Raji said family planning helps people to have the desired number of children, which can lead to improved health of mothers and contribute to the nation’s social and economic development.
The Coordinator of the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development and Emir of Argugungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera, has urged governments at all levels to increase efforts in curtailing maternal mortality in Nigeria. He made the call in Kaduna after a one-day review meeting with the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Ending Violence against Women and Girls in Northern Nigeria organized by the foundation in conjunction with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
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The Federal Government’s target of reducing the high maternal and infant mortality rate by achieving a 27 percent modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) by 2020 remains a daunting task as the year winds down.
Meanwhile, the country’s maternal mortality remains one of the highest in the world with 576 deaths per 100,000 live births according to Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS, 2013).
