By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri-
The Executive Director, Borno State Primary Heath Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA), Dr. Aliyu Shettima Mailafiya has said that Nigeria is one of the most high risk places in the world to give birth, accounting for 15% of the total maternal deaths world wide.
Dr. Mailafiya stated this on Saturday during the commemoration of Safe Motherhood Day, held in Maiduguri with a slogan,” Quality and Dignity for Women”.
NATIONAL ACCORD reports that the event was organized by BSPHCDA in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO).
The Executive Director, who quoted the WHO, said about 814 deaths per 100,000 live births are recorded in Nigeria every year, due to improper care during pregnancy, while child deaths are been recorded as a result of leading causes such as sepsis, heamorrage and severe hypertension .
Other contributing factors responsible for the high rate of maternal mortality include: delay in deciding to seek appropriate care for obstruct emergency, distance barrier, inadequate facilities and personnel due to insecurity and poverty, lack of adequate Information, poor quality services as well as cultural beliefs and practices etc.
He also revealed that the Federal Government has set aside the 22nd of May, every year as a National Safe Motherhood Day, to focus on emerging issues, especially, the COVID-19 pandemic in Safe Motherhood in order to promote maternal and new born health.
According to him, Safe Motherhood is a programmes that was officially launched in 1990 and designed to reduce the number of death and illness resulting from complications of pregnancy and child birth, death of mother as it affects the family and society.
“This has brought about the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where countries unite behind a new target to facilitate the decline of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) by 2030, which include: reducing the global MMR to less than 70 per 100,000 births with no country having a MMR of more than twice the global average”.
He advised women to be aware of maternity care in pregnancy, during and after child birth while stressing that, “maternal health and new born health are closely linked. As such, it is important that all births are attended by skilled health professionals to provide treatment in time. This will make the difference between life and death for the mother as well as for the baby”.
“To avoid deaths, it is also important to prevent unwanted pregnancies by the means of contraception and other legal ways. Safe Motherhood has four pillars which include antenatal, clean delivery, essential obstruct care and family planning”.
“The goal of the package is to reduce MMR by half and Neonatal and Prenatal Mortality by 30-40% of the 1990 level. Safe Motherhood can be achieved by providing human rights, access to full information and quality service to make an informed decision without barrier be it legal, political, and health related and free from any violence and intimidation”.
“There is need to also strengthen the delivery system, skill birth attention, enable empowerment and referral system with available funds, facilities and personnel towards providing adequate services”, Dr. Mailafiya said.
He further explained that BSOHCDA was making concerted efforts in ensuring adequate provision and availability of ambulances at every health center for emergencies including community participation towards reducing child mortality in the state.
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