Why is Maternal mortality in Nigeria so high?

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Let’s talk about this particularly in relation to other countries

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i think a certain portion could be linked to various common, but unsafe practices such as abortion

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according to IHME, Nigeria is estimated to be at 265 deaths per 100,000 live births and projected to be 195.1 in 2030.

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@Victor_Mibwala while you may be correct, there are other factors that increases the rate of maternal mortality. A good example is lack of skilled attendance at birth.

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Yes, but poverty and poor education are what affect skilled birth attendance.

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Another could be inequities in access to ante and postnatal care.

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this is of concern as no country in South America, North America or Europe has MMR of up to 265

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I think also ignorance of maternity procedures especially amogst the rural folks might add to this

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The whole traditional birth attendants issue fa? Many women die because of the traditional nurses

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Africa as a whole is the worst hit continent where the worst hit countries are

  1. Central Africa Republic (722.7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births)
  2. Somalia (671.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births)
  3. Eritrea (603.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births)
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Also, the increase of poverty is another factor, less funds for hospital care

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@h.shuaibu We might educate the birth attendants but an effective approach will still lies in government spontaneously sending supervisors to Primary health cares in rural areas to ensure that those trained are not shirking their duties.

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Honestly, I’m shocked that Botswana has a low maternal mortality rate compared to us.

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It is also important to note that unsafe abortion is another leading cause of maternal mortality rate in Nigeria. It is rather sad, to know that Nigeria’s estimated annual of 40,000 maternal deaths account for about 14% of the global total.

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this sounds definitive. I believe low skilled attendance at birth and unsafe practices e.g. abortion as indicated by @Sidneaux and @Victor_Mibwala are part of the reasons

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but since they are affordable, doesn’t it make sense that they receive some sort of basic training?

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Recent findings indicate that one in every four of the 9.2 million annual pregnancies are unintended, and 56% of the unintended pregnancies are aborted.

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some women in lagos have openly complained about the cost of maternal care

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Maternal care should actually be free. or heavily subsidized.

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