The Director of Research at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Professor Bamidele Iwalokun, has disclosed that one in every 13 pregnant mothers dies at childbirth in Nigeria.
Professor Iwalokun disclosed this while delivering a keynote address at the investiture of the eighth president of the Rotary Club of Arepo Longbridge, Engineer Richard Oguntoyinbo, at the LCCI Conference Centre in Lagos on Saturday.
“In Nigeria, we lose 245,000 women to pregnancy-associated complications every year,” the NIMR chief said.
The renowned medical researcher said 25 per cent of the deaths of mothers were caused by postpartum bleeding.
Prof Iwalokun said the situation had become intractable because many medical centres in Nigeria were not equipped with the necessary resources to combat the problem.
He noted that necessary interventions would reduce the deaths by 145,000.
For instance, anti-shock garments would stop the trend of consistently losing women to postpartum bleeding.
He lamented that Nigeria currently accounts for 20 percent of global maternal death.
The scholar further stated that the rate of neonatal fatality in the country was equally appalling at one in every 13.
He added that 1 of 8 babies dies before they are five years old.
“The sustainable development target that is five years away wants Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate to be brought down from 147 deaths per 100,000 births to 75 per 100,000.
Dissecting the causes of maternal death further, Professor Iwalokun mentioned haemorrhage, unsafe abortion, sepsis from infection, and hypertension, which causes eclampsia that leads women to deliver premature babies.
The medical researcher said the situation was worsened by the fact that Nigeria does not have enough health workers.
He said brain drain through the ‘japa’ syndrome has negatively impacted the health sector, especially the midwives.
The overwhelming majority of the remaining midwives, up to 79.2, are concentrated in the urban centres.
The rural dwellers are therefore left to their own devices, leading to a record high maternal and neonatal fatality rates.
Professor Iwalokun called for collaboration between the private and public sectors to combat the menace.
The newly installed president of the Rotary Club of Arepo Longbridge, Engineer Oguntoyinbo, promised to implement projects that will help to combat the menace.
The investiture ceremony was graced by dignitaries from all walks of life, including Assistant Governor, Jetta Ijetta, and the past presidents of the Rotary Club of Arepo Longbridge, Mr Tayo Egunjobi and Dr. Funke Ayeni (immediate past president).
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