The adoption of an indigenous midwifery initiative across the country will significantly improve maternal mortality in Nigeria, according to John Sotunsa, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
He said this while speaking at the 49th inaugural lecture of Babcock University in Ogun State on Thursday.
The conference had as its theme: “Beyond Superficial Success: Holistic Approaches to Maternal Mortality.”
Sotunsa, provost of the institution’s Benjamin Carson College of Medical and Health Sciences, said addressing Nigeria’s maternal mortality crisis required a proactive and indigenous approach that increasingly brought healthcare for pregnant women closer to the grassroots. .
To move towards reduction, Mr Sotunsa suggested the adoption of the Abiye Initiative, pioneered by the Ondo State Government, which used traditional midwifery to access women in remote communities less inclined to visit a medical facility across the country. .
He said the Abiye program addressed all delays affecting maternal mortality and harmonized the efforts of primary and tertiary health care centers with the help of health rangers trained and recruited by the government.
She said: “It was time to eliminate all causes of maternal death to change the negative narrative. He therefore called on government and private organizations to find ways to minimize delays associated with the high maternal mortality rate.
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“Statistics showed that delays in areas such as seeking help for pregnancy and childbirth, reaching specific facilities and obtaining care and referral when needed were among the major risk factors for high maternal mortality in Nigeria.”
Better health rates
In the first year of the program, the maternal mortality rate in Ondo fell to 100 per 100,000 live births, a far cry from the national maternal mortality rate of 545 per 100,000 live births.
This is a substantial decrease compared to the national rate of 545 per 100,000 live births.
Years ago, the World Bank recommended the adoption of the Abiye Initiative as a model for achieving the Millennium Development Goal targets for maternal health on the African continent.
The then Vice President of the African Region of the World Bank, Oby Ezekwesili, said that “Ondo State had provided a model and reference point for the African continent in the fight against the maternal and child mortality rate.”
In this regard, Mr. Sotunsa said the initiative was a success because it provided accessible and affordable healthcare in every corner of the state.
He believes that improving the accessibility, availability, affordability and quality of primary health care centers in the country would greatly improve health indices.
Sotunsa also recommended social networks and support, as well as social insurance plans to curb maternal mortality.
According to him, adequate social support would not only enhance a positive pregnancy experience, but reduce the risk of premature death by 26 percent, as well as reduce depression, anxiety, stroke, heart disease and dementia.
“We can keep our women alive if we look inward and maximize our opportunities,” she said. “What we have, know and do can prevent most maternal deaths in Nigeria if we are available, consistent, resourceful, committed and sacrifice,” she said.
Abiye Initiative
The Abiye Initiatives is a local initiative that seeks to address the challenges of maternal mortality and morbidity in Ondo State, Nigeria.
The project is the brainchild of the administration of Olusegun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo State.
It was established in 2009, following the release of the 2008 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) which ranked Ondo as the state with the worst maternal and child health indices in southwestern Nigeria.
The Abiye Initiative, which aims to improve the delivery of maternal health care services in the state and ensure accessibility and a high level of effectiveness, will ensure a reduction in the maternal and child mortality rate.
Maternal mortality in Nigeria
In Nigeria, maternal mortality remains a key problem affecting women of reproductive age.
Nigeria currently contributes 10 percent of global deaths of pregnant mothers.
A report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) showed that 40 million women of childbearing age, between 15 and 49 years old, suffer a disproportionately high level of health problems related to birth and considering poor birth registration that in some areas as much as 62 percent, known data on child health problems probably underestimate the true scale
Despite the global decline in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to 34.2 percent between 2000 and 2020, MMR remains a disaster in the country and the wider African region.
An estimated 287,000 women die each year from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth and 70 percent of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
Across the continent, complications from pregnancy and childbirth are also a leading cause of death among young women aged 15 to 19.
Neonatal mortality rates are also a major concern, with 48 deaths per 1,000 live births compared to four deaths per 1,000 live births in high-income countries.