Prof. Ladipo Oludapo, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Reproductive Family Health, has attributed high maternal mortality rate in the country to lack of implementation of government policies.
Oludapo disclosed this at the dissemination of training guide to health officers by Ipas Nigeria, an NGO, on Thursday in Abuja.
Noting the signing of integrated neonatal and maternal health policy by the government, Oludapo also said such policy could not be implemented due to shortage of skilled workers.
He explained that proper implementation of such policy would have avail pregnant women the opportunity of accessing free antenatal and post natal healthcare services.
Oludapo further decried inadequate distribution of health facilities, adding that those available in rural areas do not open for 24 hours operation.
The CEO further blamed reasons for pregnant women accessing quacks on failure for those facilities to deliver services accordingly.
He noted other factors as socio-cultural, adding that women failed to take advantage of few healthcare infrastructure in their domain.
According to him, rather than utilising such facilities they prefer giving birth at the places of traditional birth attendance.
``Almost one in five women delivers at home without assistant, another one in five deliver with traditional birth attendance.
``Only about two out of five pregnant women are delivered by skilled birth attendance.
``Hospital utilisation is low. The health literacy level in Nigeria is very poor,’’ said the expert.
Ms Hauwa Shakarau, Ipas Country Director, said the agencies decided to train health offers to boost their capacity.
She noted that there are a lot of pregnancy related complications that could be handled by ordinary health workers outside doctors, adding that due to lack of knowledge they could not.
Shakarau further said that such incapability triggers the mortality rate.
According to her, the training guide and the knowledge so far acquired by the officers would assist in the reduction of maternal mortality rate due to postpartum haemorrhage (Bleeding after delivery), among others.
``The training was targeted at five pilot institutions, which are Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital, Jos Teaching Hospital, Lagos Teaching hospital, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and Universisty of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.
``The mission of Ipas is to ensure that no woman dies unnecessarily why procreating, it is a role that God specially prepare women for.
``So we are trying to adopt or utilise whatever measure that will ensure that women do not die of complication of unsafe abortion and other maternal related conditions,’’ she said.
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