Nigerian Lawmakers Prioritize Maternal Health

May 30, 2006—Nigerian lawmakers joined national groups and international organizations May 24 in Abuja to commit to making maternal and newborn health a national priority. Over 300 participants called on the Nigerian government to declare maternal death a national emergency and design an urgent action plan to address them.

Nigeria has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world. Eight out of every 1,000 women die due to maternal health complications there, due to factors that include the lack of skilled birth attendants (only 35 percent of Nigerian women have a skilled attendant at delivery).

Speaking at the day-long seminar, Nigerian Senate Committee Chairman on Women Affairs Daisy Danjuma described the high rate of maternal mortality as a national problem.

Senator Danjuma noted that 60 percent of Nigerians live in poverty despite the country’s oil wealth. She explained that poverty and low literacy rates inhibit women’s access to health care. She called for officials at the state and national levels to increase funding of maternal health programs.

Participants recommended that Nigerians have access to health facilities staffed with skilled health professionals, especially rural areas and urban slums.

In response, Senate Committee Chairman on Health Aminu Safana revealed that in addition to 250 primary health centers currently open, 150 centers are under construction and plan to open at the end of 2006.

Mairo Mandara, an advisor to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, urged Nigeria’s religious leaders, especially in northern states, to work together with their communities to improve maternal health.

“Provision of free antenatal and post-natal care services would go a long way to ameliorating the suffering of millions of mothers in Nigeria,” she stated.

As part of the May 24 National Safe Motherhood Day, CEDPA/Nigeria organized the seminar along with the Federal Ministry of Health and the House of Representatives Committee on Health. The seminar received funding from the Packard Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation.

Interviewed on two live television programs, CEDPA/Nigeria Country Director Ejiro Otive-Igbuzor discussed ways to reduce safe motherhood through involving males in reproductive health issues, pregnancy, childrearing and domestic affairs. She pointed out that involving males not only benefits families and communities but also increases Nigerian economic growth and gender equity.

CEDPA/Nigeria has joined with religious leaders to increase support for and access to lifesaving reproductive health services. CEDPA also mobilizes community meetings to discuss safe motherhood practices. Read more about CEDPA’s work in Nigeria.

  What is RSS?