Goals 4 and 5 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim to
reduce child mortality and improve maternal health across
the globe. However, Nigeria has recorded increasing rate of
maternal mortality, rising to 3,200 women (number of mothers per
100,000 births dying within 42 days after the childbirth) with
alarming figures, especially in the Northern parts of the country.
Also, a recent report by Department for International Development
(DFID) revealed that Nigeria accounts for 10 per cent of the world’s
maternal mortality, indicating that women were being shut out of the
impressive economic growth. Indeed, the rate of maternal and infant
deaths coupled with the increasing instances of domestic violence
makes Nigeria one of the toughest places to be born female.
Another report by World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2008 revealed the
leading causes of Under-5 Mortality in Nigeria to include: pneumonia
21%, HIV/AIDS 6%, injuries 2%, malaria 18%, measles 5%, neoriatal 27%,
diarrhoea 16% and others 5%. Similarly, a statistic gathered by the Federal Ministry of Health (2001) attributed the immediate causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria to ectopic pregnancy 5%, prolonged labour 18%, haemorrhage 26%, abortion 11%, sepsis 11%, eclampsia 17% and others 17%.
Consequently, as part of its efforts toward strengthening the capacity
of various stakeholders and provide enabling platform to engage
maternal accountability in the country, Civil Society Legislative
Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) with support from MacArthur Foundation
recently organized a two-day Roundtable on Maternal Health among CSOs,
legislative, executive and the media in Kaduna and Kano States.
Participants noted a number of factors contributing to the poor maternal health services in the country. The challenges are complex and arise essentially from poor legal and regulatory frameworks, poor primary health care as well as economic and socio-cultural challenges across the North. While participants from Kaduna attributed the underlying causes of high mortality rate in the state to irregular power supply; lack of water supply, obsolete equipment in health facilities and low social status of women; inadequate drug supply, irregular and poor remunerated medical staff and poor access to medical and
infrastructural facilities; high level of poverty, illiteracy, socio-cultural and insecurity among citizens; weak primary health care system—as only 18.4% of women reportedly deliver in health facilities; and lack of corporate social responsibility and citizens’ participation toward health sector in the state.
In Kano, participants faulted the existing budgetary allocation
crisis among various sectors in the state; weakness in House of
Assembly and Executives’ oversights on health, non-passage of Free
Maternal Health Bill; unethical attitudes of health workers towards
patients and socio-cultural believes which have discouraged women from
attending maternal health services at various hospitals; early child
birth, high level of illiteracy, poor access to healthcare services
and rising poverty level; inadequate skilled medical personnel,
irregular payment of salary and lack of political transparency and
accountability; over-concentration of skilled health personnel in the
urban areas; among others.
It is not surprising that a paper titled “Comparative Analysis and
Review of Maternal Health”, presented in Kano by Dr. Aminu Garba
Magashi, revealed that in Nigeria, 545 women die per 100,000 live
births; 53 and 39 neonatal mortality rates were recorded per 1000 live
births in 2003 and 2011 respectively; and only 11.1% women in Kano
deliver their babies in a clinic.
He urged various stakeholders to act immediately to save 110
women and 696 babies from neonatal mortality from daily maternal mortality. Magashi reported that 72% and 75% women have refused to access medical services in Kano State as a result of lack of skillful personnel and medical facilities respectively.
Abubakar Jimoh writes from Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre
(CISLAC), Abuja.
[email protected]
