A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report on ‘Trends in maternal mortality: 1990-2013’ classifies Nigeria as on of the 10 countries of the world that contribute about 60 per cent of the world’s maternal mortality burden. Though Nigeria currently has a maternal mortality ratio of 560 per 100,000 live births, the ratio improved slightly moving from 630 per 100,000 recorded in 2010.
This high mortality rate in Nigeria falls short of Millennium Development Goals(MDG) targets for 2015. With 2015 at the corner there are doubts that the goal of eradicating maternal mortality or reducing the ugly trend drastically will be achieved.
Health experts explain that 1 in 4 maternal deaths are caused by preexisting medical conditions such as diabetes, HIV, Malaria, and Obesity. These health conditions are usually aggravated by pregnancy.Other identified causes of maternal deaths include severe bleeding, pregnancy induced high blood pressure, infectIons, and abortion complications..
Reducing high maternal mortality in Nigeria can only be done effectively if mothers and new borns have unhindered access to adequate health systems, skillful birth attendants, and low cost medical interventions. This qualitative access can reduce new born death rates by 75 per cent.
Maternal related deaths of mothers and new borns are preponderant among low income or poor persons. This is why governments must devote substantial resources towards making available basic health care systems to their citizens especially among the deprived in rural communities or among those operating along the fringes of urban economies.
Health authorities across the country should continue to mount campaigns aimed at educating all segments of the populace on the need for proper maternal care during pregnancy and on the health conditions that are inimical to mother and child health.
While our governments set their focus on revenue generation and sharing, the health conditions of women through which society is constantly regenerated should not be neglected.
Those who reject Nigeria’s classification as a poor country should be mindful that high maternal mortality rate in a society is a strong index of poverty showing poor access to qualitative health care. With huge petrodollars that illicitly dissapear into personal accounts or unaccounted for, it is shameful that many Nigerians still lack basic health care.
