Delivering at home, a killer says expert

Programme Coordinator/ Head of Office, UNPFA, Northern Nigeria, Mariam Darbo, has expressed concern over the rate of maternal mortality in the country, describing delivery at home as a killer, “Presently 80 percent of women in northern Nigeria deliver at home; they do not come to health facilities, and most of the woman who died, died […]

Programme Coordinator/ Head of Office, UNPFA, Northern Nigeria, Mariam Darbo, has expressed concern over the rate of maternal mortality in the country, describing delivery at home as a killer,

“Presently 80 percent of women in northern Nigeria deliver at home; they do not come to health facilities, and most of the woman who died, died at home,” she said.

She stated this during the presentation of surgical consumables by the Canadian Embassy in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), to the VVF Centre, Maryam Abacha Women and Children Hospital, Sokoto.

She noted with concern that Northern Nigeria contributes most to maternal mortality in Nigeria, stressing, “this is something that we should all see as an emergency and do something about it.”

“We want to make sure no woman dies giving birth,” she stressed, noting fistula as one of the consequences of maternal health that went wrong.

The UNFPA head pointed out: “We need to help to strengthen the health services; we need to make sure that women come to the health centres to deliver.”

The Canadian Embassy First Secretary, Emily Milroy, who made the presentation of the items at the VVF Centre in Sokoto, said “the government of Canada is funding UNFPA which is working with the government and the fistula centre in Sokoto, to scale up operation and ensure they have the consumables that they need to ensure that the repairs are happening.”

She added: “In Sokoto, we are targeting 3,000 women, and we are also working in Bauchi, Oyo for a total of 6,000 targeted operations in Nigeria.”

Milroy stressed the need to keep girls in school and improve access to maternal health for people of reproductive age.

Commissioner for Health Dr Ali Nname said apart from treatment and surgery for fistula patients, the VVF centre also provides rehabilitation services that include skill acquisition and other psychological support for them to be able to reintegrate into their communities.