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Nigeria’s persistent economic hardship, widespread poverty, inadequate health infrastructure, and a failing healthcare financing system have been identified as key drivers of Nigeria’s alarmingly high maternal mortality rate, which accounts for 34 per cent of the global maternal death burden.
Maternal health experts decried the worsening situation in maternal health, stating that thousands of Nigerian women continue to die from preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
According to the World Health Organisation, Nigeria accounts for over 34 per cent of global maternal deaths.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, the gynaecologists maintained that unless the government and relevant stakeholders take deliberate, bold interventions, the country will continue to lose women in droves to conditions that are largely preventable in other parts of the world.
The experts recommended several urgent actions to curb maternal mortality in Nigeria, including making maternity care completely free at all levels and equipping healthcare facilities with drugs, blood, electricity, and trained personnel.
While stressing the importance of implementing nationwide emergency transport services and strengthening health system linkages across local, state, and federal levels, the physicians also called for monthly maternal death audits to identify gaps and prevent recurrence, as practised in countries like the United Kingdom.
A professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ernest Orji, lamented that poverty remains the foundational cause of Nigeria’s maternal mortality crisis.
According to him, the economic downturn in the country, compounded by poor government policies, has significantly limited access to quality maternal healthcare for most women, particularly those in rural and low-income urban communities.
Orji described poverty as the “Big P”, stressing that it fuels ignorance, poor nutrition, late presentation to hospitals, and an overall lack of access to life-saving maternal services.
He added, “Women are dying because they are poor, uneducated, and unaware of the dangers of pregnancy.
“Even when they are aware, they cannot afford the cost of care, the transportation to health centres, or even the feeding necessary for a healthy pregnancy.”
He cited common maternal complications in Nigeria, such as excessive bleeding, convulsions (eclampsia), and infections, explaining that while doctors and nurses may be available, the critical drugs, blood, and equipment often are not, or they are inaccessible due to out-of-pocket payment barriers.
He criticised the government’s insufficient health funding, warning that supposed free maternal services announced by politicians remain largely unavailable at the point of care, making such gestures “a political gain rather than a practical solution”.
The maternal health physician further explained that delays in seeking care, in getting to the hospital, and in receiving adequate treatment, referred to as phase one, two, and three delays, are responsible for most maternal deaths.
He said women often delay hospital visits due to lack of money, transportation, or religious beliefs, while hospitals themselves are crippled by lack of power, water, equipment, and essential supplies.
“Even when some women register for antenatal care, they can’t afford to return due to high transport costs or the price of basic items like sugar and bread.
“The government must make maternity care, including delivery and operations, completely free and available for all pregnant women,” he said.
Orji called for widespread adoption of family planning methods to reduce unplanned pregnancies, adding that family planning should be mandatory and accessible to all women of reproductive age.
“We cannot fix maternal mortality in Nigeria without first fixing the poverty that drives it.
“But even within that challenge, we can save thousands of lives by ensuring that healthcare is free, well-funded, properly equipped, and easily accessible,” he stressed.
On his part, a gynaecologic oncologist at OAUTHC, Professor Kayode Ajenifuja, said maternal death statistics only reveal the tip of the iceberg.
According to him, for every woman who dies, thousands more suffer life-threatening complications that may leave them infertile or traumatised for life.
He highlighted the emotional and social consequences of maternal deaths on families and communities, particularly children left behind.
Ajenifuja stressed the need for a coordinated and adequately funded health system, arguing that the current disjointed structure, where federal, state, and local governments operate independently, has led to a collapse of primary and secondary healthcare centres.
He stated, “Most women bypass primary care centres and general hospitals because they are broken.
“They come straight to tertiary hospitals, which are overwhelmed with cases that should have been handled at the lower levels.”
The don also lamented the brain drain affecting Nigeria’s healthcare system, noting that many skilled health workers are leaving the country, leaving facilities understaffed and poorly equipped to manage emergencies.
“We lack emergency ambulance services, we lack equipment, and sometimes staff attitudes also deter women from seeking care,” he added.
Ajenifuja warned that failure to act decisively would not only continue to cost lives but also undermine Nigeria’s economic and social development.
“When mothers die, the consequences are generational. We lose future human capital, destabilise families, and create social burdens that the nation must bear for decades to come,” he noted.
