Nigeria Has Second Highest Child And Maternal Mortality RateNigeria Has Second Highest Child And Maternal Mortality Rate

With an estimated 608 deaths per 100,000 deliveries, Nigeria ranks second only to India in the list of nations with the worst child mortality. Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwucrackcrackcrackcrack advertisement According to Women Health and Action Research Centre, an organisation committed to the promotion of intimate and reproductive health and social well-being of women and adolescents, out of 100,000 women that enter labour rooms, 50 of them do not come out alive. With the figure (death of 50 women), the group said Nigeria also ranked second in the global number of maternal deaths. The Chief Executive Officer of the centre, Prof. Friday Okonofua, said at a dissemination workshop on 'Assessment of Infection Control Practices in Delivery Care Units in Edo State,' that three major factors were responsible for the high maternal mortality in Nigeria. They are bleeding after birth, pregnancy hypertension and post-delivery infections. He said, "Studies, including data from Edo State have shown that up to four out of 10 Nigerian women experiencing puerperal infections die from the complication. "Besides, maternal mortality in Edo State reflects the national average. Maternal health is presently not prioritised by the state government." According to Okonofua the "results demonstrate the lack of appropriate policies and practices relating to infection control in maternal units in Edo State, given that puerperal sepsis is the third leading cause of maternal mortality in the country." Worried by the lack of data on maternity care and puerperal sepsis in health facilities, the centre recommended that record keeping be prioritised as an important strategy to monitor the outcomes of infection control measures. The workshop, which had in attendance officials from the state ministry of health, women affairs, health workers from public and private health institutions, accused governments of insensitivity to the problems of women.