Nigeria Health Watch Seeks Action to Check Maternal Deaths

..To host Art Gala

Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Sunday Ehigiator

Nigeria Health Watch, a strong public health advocacy group, has called for measures to reduce maternal mortality rate, which it said has continued to be a major public health concern.

This is just as they disclosed plans to host the maiden edition of
HealthMeetsArt Gala themed ‘Celebrating Womanhood’, to recognise women in all their diversity, showcasing their strengths and resilience.

Meanwhile, according to the group, data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) showed that maternal deaths in Nigeria account for 20 per cent of global maternal deaths.

A statement by the Media Officer, Uche Nwagboso, said the maiden edition of the event will also be used to create a space for positive dialogue to highlight the important need to accelerate progress towards greater equality in Nigeria.

The organisation said the number of women who die while giving life in Nigeria calls for immediate attention and collaboration by all
stakeholders (including the private sector, public agencies, civil society organisations, donors, and multinationals) in
Nigeria’s health sector to improve current outcome.

Nwagboso explained that the art gala is being organised with support from the National Gallery of Art and Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN) who have curated art pieces from selected female artists.

“The Celebrating Womanhood Art Gala seeks to bring together stakeholders from diverse sectors to increase awareness and provide a forum for discussion on how we can break down the structural barriers that prevent women and girls from attaining their full potential.

“We critically want to highlight the inequities and obstacles women face when accessing healthcare,” She said.

According to the Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch,
Vivianne Ihekweazu, “As health advocates we need to
inspire change, whether it is a change in thinking or a change in behaviour. This requires touching people on an emotional level and one of the ways we are seeking to do this, is through creative arts”

Ihekweazu also stated that “the goal of the Celebrating Womanhood Art Gala is to create greater awareness about maternal health issues, beyond the health sector.

” The number of Nigerian women who lose their lives while giving life remains of great concern and urgent solutions are needed to inspire positive change.”

Speaking on the #HealthMeetsArt gala partnership, Chinze Ojobo, a Fellow of African Art & Culture expressed excitement on the opportunity to partner Nigeria Health Watch on this epic event.

“FEAAN was established in 2001 and uses art to give
voice to the voiceless, the vulnerable women and endangered girl child”.

Ojobo further emphasised that “our advocacy as female artists lie solely on social issues like gender rights and equality, gender based violence, maternal health issues and so on”.

While giving reasons for embarking on the project, Nigeria Health Watch said that Art is a unique form of expression that can combine both text and imagery.

It said Art also has the ability to communicate ideas, share experiences and thoughts, stretching the imagination without relying solely on words. It is an outlet for human expression and a universal language that has the power to unify.

“This approach can be an effective means of creating
awareness about maternal health issues. Furthermore, by creating awareness of these issues and portraying women
from their position of strength and often resilience, we hope to generate greater mobilisation of resources and engagement to ensure that gender issues are mainstreamed.

“The gala will be a hybrid event with the opportunity to share in the experience and view the art pieces online, on
Friday. The gala is being organised with the support of MSD for Mothers through its global initiative to help create a world where no woman has to die while giving life,” it said.