• Super Admin
• 08 Mar, 2026

As Nigeria joins the global community to commemorate International Women's Day today, female medical practitioners have demanded actionable measures from the Federal and state governments to drastically reduce the country's high maternal death rate. In interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, the women doctors asserted that no woman should die during childbirth and demanded that the government commit more funds to the health sector, ensure adequate manpower and materials are available in healthcare centres, especially in rural areas where most maternal deaths occur, and improve working conditions to retain healthcare workers. While they praised the Federal Government interventions, such as the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative and free caesarean sections under the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care programme, they noted that Nigeria still records one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. The female medical practitioners urged the Federal and state governments to prioritise the implementation of already enacted policies and ensure accountability among those managing the projects, while also calling for increased awareness and sensitisation so women know where to access free services. The doctors also called for engagement with community leaders, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to spread information about available maternal health programmes. Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, accounting for 34 per cent of global maternal deaths. According to the World Bank 2023 report, Nigeria's MMR is 993 deaths out of 100,000 live births. Poverty, inadequate, inaccessible, and poorly equipped healthcare facilities, lack of skilled birth attendants, insufficient health funding, delays, lack of awareness of pregnancy dangers, pregnancy or birth complications are major reasons for the country's high MMR. IWD is commemorated on March 8 every year to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and also focus on issues such as reproductive rights, violence and abuse against women. The World Health Organisation's theme for this year is "Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls, while the IWD's website's theme is "Give To Gain."Commenting on the matter, the President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Lagos Branch, Dr Ime Okon, stated that no woman should die during her natural responsibility of procreation. She stressed that reducing maternal deaths required adequate funding, improved manpower and the availability of functional equipment in health, noting that the Abuja Declaration recommended that 15 per cent of the budget should be allocated to health, but many states barely allocate five to six per cent. Okon stated, "How do you expect maternal mortality deaths to reduce when you are not able to allocate funds? In the Yoruba language, they will say, 'owo ni keke ihinrere.' Which means, it is money that brings forth the good things and results that you want to see. "What I expect is we use what we call the three M's: Money, manpower and machinery or materials. When it comes to health sector development, these M's can improve our health indices, especially the maternal mortality ratio. So we expect in terms of money that the government commits more funds." On manpower, she noted that many healthcare workers, including specialists, are leaving the country and rural areas due to unfavourable conditions of service, particularly poor remuneration. Okon, who is also a public health physician and epidemiologist, emphasised the need to strengthen healthcare delivery in rural communities where many maternal deaths occur, noting that even where facilities exist, lack of equipment and supplies often prevents healthcare workers from saving lives. She stated, "How many healthcare workers are incentivised and motivated to work in the rural communities? People are moving from Nigeria to other countries, while some people are moving from rural to urban areas." The Lagos MWAN president also noted that while infrastructure development is good, funds must be committed to the healthcare system to ensure equipment is available. The Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ibeju-Lekki General Hospital further praised the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative and the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care programme, but stated that a recent report showed that out of 774 local governments in Nigeria, the programme is operational in only 172 local governments. She further noted that while the starting period is always the most difficult part of the journey, the programme needs to scale up to meet the target audience. The female physician called for increased sensitisation and awareness of maternal health interventions, stating that it was essential to ensure pregnant women benefit from them. Okon stated, "We have so many initiatives, but are people aware that these things even exist? Do women know about health insurance? Do women know that there are some hospitals where, if you go there, even if you do not have money, you will be attended to? We need to increase our sensitisation. Yes, we're doing a lot, but do people know, or are we just mentioning them in air-conditioned offices and conference centres, without trickling down to the grassroots?" She urged engagement with community development associations, traditional leaders, and religious leaders, describing them as gatekeepers and influencers that women listen to. Also, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Dr Ebiye Tekena, called on the government to upgrade rural primary health centres with electricity, water, delivery beds, and essential drugs. She stated that most maternal deaths occur in rural areas, adding that many rural health centres lack equipment and skilled staff despite having buildings. Tekena urged the government to make healthcare facilities accessible, noting that there is no need to put a primary health centre in a place where people cannot reach it. She called for adequate manpower in health centres, stating that every health centre should have skilled birth attendants. The maternal health expert stated, "Maternal mortality basically has to do with most women dying because no skilled person is supervising the birth. If these health centres have skilled birth attendants, it will go a long way." She urged the government to make antenatal care free or affordable, noting that some people are not coming to hospitals because there is no money. Tekena called for appropriate referral systems from primary health centres to secondary health centres, and from secondary to tertiary, to ensure ease of movement and that patients get the best care they need. She stressed the need for training and retraining of skilled staff, improved salaries, reduced brain drain, and favourable working conditions. The gynaecologist stated, "No matter how beautiful you wish to create a facility, put everything inside, if you don't have the right staff to man the place and work, then it's of no use. The hospital will not save lives on its own without the trained and skilled manpower." On health insurance, Tekena called on the federal government to expand the National Health Insurance Scheme coverage to make healthcare affordable to those who are less privileged. She urged education and sensitisation of the general public on family planning, noting that one of the causes of maternal mortality is illegal abortion. The expert stated, "Get pregnant only when you are ready to get pregnant. If you only get pregnant when you are ready to get pregnant, it will not be a mistake. So the abortion rate will reduce, thereby reducing maternal mortality too." She called for improved girl-child education, noting that if women are educated and empowered, they can make decisions on their own and think for themselves. Tekena stated that the main solution is to ensure every delivery is attended by a skilled birth attendant, manage emergencies fast, make healthcare affordable, and empower women through education and family planning. On existing interventions, she noted that Nigeria has put in a lot of policies, but still has a very high maternal mortality rate. The gynaecologist called for less focus on policies and more on implementation and accountability. She stated, "Everywhere you go, there's policy on this, policy on that. But nobody is implementing those policies. Even when they provide a facility, nobody goes to check how they are working there. Are they accountable for what they have been sent? There's no auditing or anything like that. So, less of policy, more of implementation and accountability." Tekena cited Rwanda, which was worse than Nigeria at some point but has drastically reduced its maternal mortality rate through implementation, free transportation to hospitals, and accountability in health centres. She urged the government to ensure proper monitoring of compliance with the initiatives and to offer cash incentives to outstanding staff and medical personnel, noting that this would strengthen nationwide commitment to their implementation, enhance the success of the programmes, and ultimately reduce maternal mortality in the country. Source: https://punchng.com/?p=2083861