Reducing maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria

The woman, whose first two deliveries were done in her room, was not thrice lucky. She was said to have died due to excessive bleeding. Neighbours blame her predicament on the fact that there was no traditional birth attendant to help her when she developed complications in her travail. They also said that she did […]

The woman, whose first two deliveries were done in her room, was not thrice lucky. She was said to have died due to excessive bleeding. Neighbours blame her predicament on the fact that there was no traditional birth attendant to help her when she developed complications in her travail.

They also said that she did not get any ante-natal care because she thought it was necessary as her previous deliveries were successful without any such assistance. Like Aisha, many women have died of childbirth complications. According to statistics from UNICEF, a woman dies every minute from such complications.

In Nigeria, the situation is particularly bad due to low literacy level, especially in the rural areas. Worried by that situation and the need to create awareness among the womenfolk, the First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’adua, is making concerted efforts to curb the trend. In mid-November, Yar’adua visited Taraba State to flag off an awareness campaign on maternal and child health.

In a brief speech at the event, she noted that Nigeria was “one of the countries with the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. “Unless we all make concerted efforts, Nigeria may never be able to overcome that health problem before 2015,’’ she said. The UN, via its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), expects that infant and maternal mortality rates would be reduced by more than three quarters of the 1990 figures, by 2015.

Yar’adua said her visit would further sensitise women on ways to protect their lives and those of their children during and after pregnancies. She implored policy makers in all tiers of governance to formulate and implement laws that would mitigate the increasing cases of maternal and child mortality.

“On my part, I am prepared to play a pivotal role to ensure that no woman dies while giving birth to a baby,’’ she said. Yar’adua is not alone in the resolve to check the incessant deaths from childbirth.

The Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Oshotimehin, recently announced that the Federal Government has trained 1,500 midwives to assist in the delivery of babies. According to him, 96 of them have been posted to Taraba. “I am saddened by the incessant deaths from childbirth, but I am very optimistic that the availability of skilled nurses and midwives will reduce the problem by 50 per cent,’’ he said. Oshotimehin also spoke of the need for the other tiers of government to train more traditional birth attendants to complement the efforts of the midwives.

Hajiya Amina Az-Zubair, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGS, is equally worried at the high rate of deaths from childbirth. She is, however, optimistic that Nigeria can meet the MDG “within the six years left. “It is one goal we all seek to achieve and which we must achieve. “We are still off-track in spite of huge efforts by this administration and the states; but I am very optimistic that we shall get there”.

Az-Zubair also suggested commitment, in terms of political will and deployment of resources, by government, to meet the target. Az-Zubair is particularly happy that the First Lady has taken special interest in the issue and is already “a genuine advocate toward ending the incessant deaths from childbirth.

“She has matched words with action and that is very good for the campaign,’’ she said. Al-Zubair stressed the need for stakeholders to see failure as an opportunity to find solution for success. “I sincerely believe that these are our problems and we alone have the answers,’’ she said.

She said that 2,680 midwives, under the Midwives Scheme of the MDGs, have been recruited to tackle the issue of maternal and infant mortality nationwide.

“With all hands on deck, we shall together achieve the MDGs goals by 2015” she added. Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Salamatu Suleman, whose office is a key stakeholder in the effort to minimise maternal and infant mortality, said that progress had been made in the area of community level advocacy and mobilisation.

“We have also embarked on the sensitisation of all relevant stakeholders and introduced model quality health service delivery intervention programmes in 12 states of the federation.’’ According to her, the areas of intervention include the procurement and distribution of ambulances to ease the transportation of rural pregnant women to health centres.

Other areas of intervention, she said, were the enhancement of health facilities through the provision of “essential supplies” such as anti-shock garments, mama kits and magnesium sulphate. Dr Agathe Lawson, Resident Representative, United Nation Population Funds (UNFPA), said she was impressed with efforts by stakeholders and particularly acknowledged the efforts of the First Lady.

“Nigeria’s First Lady is accelerating the efforts to reduce maternal mortality and improving the lives of women child survival. I think such efforts should be supported by all”, she said. Lawson noted that the First Lady recently launched in Nigeria, the African Union Continental Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).

“This idea was mooted by the African Union Commission following the observation that the issue of maternal mortality has reached a point where countries in Africa can no longer turn a blind eye. “I agree with all stakeholders that issues bordering on maternal and newborn deaths and survival are of great importance, especially with the phenomenal proportion of people dying from preventable  causes”, Lawson said.

She said it was to check the trend that world leaders committed themselves to increasing efforts to reduce infant mortality by two thirds and maternal mortality by three quarters of 1990 figures, by 2015. “It was in view of the slow speed of many African leaders in meeting the goals that WHO and partners like UNFPA and UNICEF, developed an African Roadmap to accelerate the attainment of the MDGs related to maternal and newborn health”, she added.  “We are following that roadmap and shall reach the goal as expected,’’ Lawson said.

Many women, who have spoken on the incessant deaths from the trend, have expressed the need for concerted efforts to reduce it to the barest minimum. Hajiya Hauwa Suntai, wife of the Governor of Taraba, for instance, wants policy makers to support the efforts of the First Lady and other stakeholders. “Such campaigns assist women to know what to do during pregnancies and such knowledge can reduce mortality rates during childbirth.

(NANFeatures)