The wife of the Senate president, Toyin Saraki has cried out following statistics that puts the death of women during child birth at 111 daily in the country.
The cry was made while on receiving the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA), Ratidzai Ndalovu, in Abuja.
There, Toyin called for more concerted awareness and sensitization campaign in the fight against infant mortality.
She used ceased the opportunity to present 200 Training Arm Models donated by Merck Stopes to the 98 Midwifery schools in the country, and urged midwife tutors to ensure effective use of the equipment.
According to a statement issued to journalists from the Office of the Senate President on Thursday 9 July, Toyin said that the government will continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders in its efforts to curb the menace.
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She added that the government will not rest on its oars in acquiring modern facilities that would help reduce the spate of maternal mortality among the women folks.
The Senate President’s wife further stressed that the government will also address inadequacies in the training of midwives, adding; “there is a need for Nigeria to hold a National Conference on midwifery where practitioners will update their technical knowledge and skills to confront the ugly trend.”
While highlighting the threats of maternal mortality among the rural women in Nigeria, Toyin urged international donors, governments at all levels and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to address the challenge of ignorance and cultural barriers plaguing Nigerian women.
She went on to urge the government and private medical institutions to look into renumeration, occupational hazard and general welfare package of practitioners to checkmate unnecessary out-flux of midwives that are looking for greener pastures outside the shores of the country.
“The importance of midwifery services cannot be underestimated. Our motive is to record drastic reduction in maternal mortality rate across the country.
“Based on the 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey figures, 111 women die everyday during children birth and from pregnancy-related complications. The awareness should facilitate the teaching of the implant contraceptives.
“There is a scientific evidence that 30 per cent of maternal death can be prevented by increasing access to an uptake of contraceptives. We should further encourage midwifery education in Nigeria. The pre-service training is critical in sustained strengthening of a trained workforce.
“Investment in midwifery is indispensable for us to make a difference in reducing maternal mortality rate in the country,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Resident Representatives of UNFPA, Ratidzai Ndalovu, in her earlier remark, said that the passion of her Organisation is to save lives of the newborns and their mothers.
Ratidzai urged the government, private sector, traditional rulers, health-care workers to help make the changes that would translate into positive contribution to Nigeria’s economic development by saving the lives of the estimated 111 women that die during child delivery, daily.
She went on to pledge the unflinching commitment of the UNFPA to assist the government, partner with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria in capacity building and provision of modern equipment to reduce preventable deaths among women and children.
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Alhaji Mustapha Jumare, the Chairman, Board of NMCN, also commended the laudable initiatives of Mrs. Saraki, UNFPA and development partners towards saving the lives of newborns and their mothers.
He pledged to continue in partnership with all stakeholders to ensure that efficient health care becomes a reality for every woman in Nigeria.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age every single day.
This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world.
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