Child Maternal Mortality Rates In Nigeria Surpasses COVID-19 – Experts

The Federal Government has expressed concern about the rising number of deaths among women and children in Nigeria, noting that the country’s child and maternal mortality rates are higher than those of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Dr. Salma Anas-Kolo, Director, Department of Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health, stated this in her welcome address at the Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal, and Child Health’s three-day virtual training for media practitioners.

“On a daily basis, we have many women and children dying, larger than COVID-19,” Dr Anas-Kolo lamented, adding, “We have many women and children dying, larger than COVID-19.” Every year, 40,000 to 50,000 women die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth-related causes, but the majority of these deaths go unnoticed.”
“Each life is important, and every death of a woman or child should be accounted for,” the Director of Family Health said, noting that over 90% of these deaths in both mothers and children under the age of five years are preventable.

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She went on to say that the federal government planned to enlist the help of religious leaders with large followings in disseminating information about maternal and newborn health, nutrition, and child spacing in order to improve people’s quality of life and contribute to nation-building.

Nigeria is set to launch its Family Planning 2030 commitment in line with the global movement supporting women’s and girls’ rights to choose whether or not to have children freely and for themselves.

According to her, the launch follows the Federal government’s commitment to family planning provision and uptake, as well as the importance of family planning to meaningful sustainable development.

Professor Emmanuel Adedolapo Lufadeju, National Coordinator, Rotary National Family Planning Campaign (RMCH) Nigeria, spoke about the importance of family planning in improving child survival and population management.

Lufadeju urged the media to cover family planning issues more extensively in order to promote long-term development.

Professor Abubakar Panti, a family health expert, listed available contraceptive methods and criticized Nigeria’s high fertility rate.

“Nigeria is among the ten countries in the world with the highest fertility rate,” he says, adding that “lack of access to contraception contributes to this high fertility rate.”

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“A Nigerian woman’s lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 22, compared to 1 in 4900 in developed countries.” Nigeria is ranked fourth among the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Preventing pregnancy through family planning and contraception prevents maternal death.”