Nigeria Has Highest Maternal Mortality Rate in the World, Expert Laments

*Says 225 women die daily during childbirth

Wale Igbintade

Founder of the Maternal and Reproductive Health Research Collective (MRHRC), Professor Bosede Afolabi, has raised the alarm over the increase in the maternal mortality rate in the country, stating that Nigeria has the highest number of women dying from pregnancy and childbirth in the world.
Speaking yesterday at a media event/Run/Jogging to create awareness on Maternal Mortality/Health for Pregnant Women, held in Lagos, Afolabi said about 225 women in Nigeria die daily during childbirth.

The UK-born Nigerian Gynaecologist, and Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, said no fewer than 82,000 Nigerian women die annually due to pregnancy-related problems and childbearing difficulties.

She said: “These distressing figures continue to rise each year, even though the majority of these deaths are preventable. This event is the culmination of a month-long programme to raise awareness and funds for maternal mortality in Nigeria. The programme is also aimed at reducing the number of maternal mortalities in the country because Nigeria has the highest number of women dying from pregnancy and childbirth in the whole world.

“In 2020 alone, 82,000 pregnant Nigerian women died as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. This figure is about three times more than that of India and India is about five times the population of Nigeria. So, if India could reduce the rate of maternal mortality, we must reduce ours too.

She added that: “In high-income countries, the total number of women dying as a result of pregnancy and childbirth is less than 20. However, in Nigeria, 225 women die daily. So, as we have been running here, we have lost at least 10 women to pregnancy and childbirth, that is too much.”
She said the main objective of the Maternal and Reproductive Health Research Collective (MRHRC), was to ensure the highest standards of maternal and reproductive healthcare for women and girls in low-income communities.

“Through this campaign, we want to create awareness so that people can be more helpful to pregnant women. Also, it’s to let pregnant women know that they should go to the hospital to deliver their babies. They should not stay at home or go to someone who is not skilled. They should go to the hospital and if they can’t afford it, they should reach out to us.

“Right now, we are registering 5,000 pregnant women who cannot afford hospital bills, we’ve already registered about 300 women. We have also employed community health workers to register them, follow up, ensure that they deliver safely, and monitor them after delivery, she added.

More than 3,000 people, mostly women, turned up en masse for the event.

MRHRC, among other things, trains health workers and improves medical education, working with medical, midwifery, nursing, pharmaceutical organisations, and other related training bodies by incorporating the best evidence and evaluation of training received and integrating training into pre-service and in/post-service training.

The NGO also develops advocacy for strengthening healthcare delivery systems through research and policy development that deliver high-impact and sustainable outcomes for women and girls.

It also provides health financing support for institutional interventions and care delivery at the grassroots to women using traditional and innovative finance vehicles in partnership with public, private, and development sector players.