Dearth of Skilled Birth Attendants Responsible for Maternal Deaths, Says Expert

Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto

The President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Prof. Oluwarotimi Akinola, Sunday said Nigeria is occupying a pathetic position in the number of women that die during child birth, attributing the problem to dearth of skilled birth attendants.

Speaking during an interview with journalists in Sokoto, Akinola noted with deep concern the high rate of maternal deaths in the country, with Nigeria contributing 14 per cent to all the women that die in the world.

He posited that only 38 per cent of women in the country get attended to by skilled birth attendants and emphasised that ignorance and lack of finance had become an impediment to their access to healthcare services.

He said the society was committed to tackling the ugly trend by ensuring the implementation of Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MDPSR) initiative in every state in Nigeria.

According to him, the implementation of the initiative would go a long way in reducing maternal mortality in all the states of the federation, adding that the need for women to be screened for reproductive tract cancers especially cervical cancers and the availability of more radiotherapy centre should be provided at a minimal cost to the Nigerian woman.