Breaking the Cycle: Nigeria’s Maternal Mortality Crisis

As the leading country for maternal deaths, Nigeria faces severe challenges in healthcare access and quality, leading to preventable fatalities during childbirth. Activists and government initiatives are pushing for systematic change to improve maternal health.

In Nigeria, a woman dies from childbirth every seven minutes, cementing its position as the most dangerous country in the world for expectant mothers. Nafisa Salahu, a 24-year-old survivor of a life-threatening labor, found herself one of the many at risk when she went into labor during a doctors' strike. Despite being in a hospital, a lack of timely expert care forced her to endure three harrowing days of labor, which ended with a Caesarean section that tragically resulted in the loss of her baby. Reflecting on her experience, Ms. Salahu admits her fatalistic acceptance of dangers surrounding childbirth, stating, "I was no longer afraid."

Current statistics reported by the UN reveal that Nigeria is responsible for a staggering 29% of global maternal deaths, equating to an estimated 75,000 women annually. Among the leading causes are preventable conditions such as postpartum hemorrhage, obstructed labor, and unsafe abortions. The underlying factors contributing to this crisis encompass inadequate healthcare infrastructure, a scarcity of trained medical personnel, excessively high treatment costs, cultural skepticism toward medical intervention, and widespread insecurity.

Mabel Onwuemena, a national advocate for the Women of Purpose Development Foundation, emphasizes that many women, especially in rural areas, often resort to traditional remedies, further delaying crucial care. The Nigerian healthcare expenditure remains low, with only 5% of the federal budget dedicated to health, far below the 15% commitment made in an African Union treaty.

The situation varies dramatically based on socioeconomic status. While wealthier women in urban areas benefit from better healthcare access and education, those in rural regions face overwhelming systemic challenges. Jamila Ishaq, a mother from Kano, describes her own troubling birth experience in which she received no assistance at the hospital during labor complications given the staffing shortages.

Concerns about hospital negligence echo through communities, as highlighted by childbirth experiences like that of Chinwendu Obiejesi, who can afford private healthcare and has not experienced maternal deaths around her. However, harsh realities persist for many as evidenced by the heartbreaking loss of life documented in personal testimonies.

Recognizing the critical state of maternal health, the Nigerian government recently launched the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (Mamii), aiming to improve care for pregnant women across 172 local government areas. The initiative includes a house-to-house survey to connect 400,000 women with healthcare services—an ambitious strategy aimed at tackling a crisis that demands urgent attention.

Though global maternal mortality has decreased by 40% since 2000, Nigeria's improvement has been minimal at just 13%. Experts call for increased investment and rigorous monitoring of programs like Mamii to ensure impactful outcomes, as families continue to mourn the tragic loss of mothers—around 200 each day in Nigeria. For those left behind, such losses represent not just personal heartbreak but a profound societal loss of potential and nurturing figures, as noted by bereaved family members reflecting on their loved ones lost too soon.