According to the Maternal and Reproductive Health Research Collective (MRHRC), over 62,000 Nigerian women pass away from complications related to pregnancy each year, making this country the country with the highest maternal death rate worldwide.
This is happening as the organization prepares to launch the ‘#WeMenForHer Movement,’ a month-long initiative to raise awareness of and find solutions for Nigeria’s escalating maternal health problem, beginning in Lagos.
During a virtual press conference held in Lagos, the founder of the MRHRC, Prof. Abosede Afolabi, blamed the high rate of maternal mortality rates on a lack of access to quality healthcare services, particularly in rural areas; cultural influences that occasionally cause pregnant women to reject skilled medical care; and poverty as a significant barrier to accessing antenatal care, with roughly 70% of Nigerians living in poverty.
“The movement’s primary objective is to promote the MamaBase project, an innovative intervention aimed at safeguarding and empowering expectant mothers throughout their maternal journey. As part of this initiative, a dedicated team of community health workers will be deployed to provide continuous support to pregnant women within their communities, ensuring they receive essential antenatal care and access skilled healthcare providers during childbirth
“The scale of this endeavour is nothing with plans to enroll an initial 5,000 women into the MamaBase Intervention. Remarkably, 250 expectant mothers have already found solace in this programme, and some have celebrated safe deliveries. The #WeMenForHer campaign sets its sights on a monumental goal, raising N100 million with each woman benefiting from a dedicated allocation of N20,000 for comprehensive maternal care,” she further disclosed.
However, according to Afolabi, the WeMenForHer campaign is proof of the strength of working together across gender lines to enhance maternal health and pave the way for a better future for mothers in Nigeria.
In a same vein, Dr. Mobolanle Balogun, an MRHRC spokesperson, revealed that maternal health in Nigeria is a tremendous burden, adding that, “Unfortunately, the number of maternal deaths is abysmal. According to statistics, Nigeria accounts for 30 per cent of maternal deaths globally, and the world could not ignore such a damning challenge.”
