University Don Calls for National Campaign to Curtail Maternal Mortality Rate in the Country

To curtail the consistent increase in the country’s Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), a University Don, Prof Oluwafemi Kuti has urged the federal government to embark on a National Safe Delivery Programme campaign that would involve interventions that address direct obstetric complications adding that the campaign must be backed by an enabling law to make it a national project.

Kuti, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, made the call on Tuesday while delivering his inaugural lecture titled, “That they will not labour in vain nor bear children doomed for misfortune: Efforts of an obstetrician and gynaecologist”.

The Professor lamented the high rate of maternal death in the country while citing political will as a critical necessity to making the prevention of maternal and prenatal death a priority in the country.

According to him, “For the accelerated reduction of maternal and prenatal mortality rates in Nigeria, we need to learn from the experience of the developed countries that have been able to reduce their MMR to less than 10 per 100,000”.

He further disclosed that professionalizing care in pregnancy and childbirth is key to their success and involves training enough midwives to ensure that ONLY qualified personnel attend to all births.

He concluded that efforts had generated a sufficient body of knowledge, competent personnel, and solid institutions to protect women from prenatal death.

“With a strong political will, we need to professionalize Midwifery Care, Improve the Standard of Health care at all levels, and make women’s care during delivery and childbirth free”.

Proffering more solutions to the problem, Kuti also proposed a National Safe Delivery Programme that would involve interventions that address direct obstetric complications, which must be backed by an enabling law to make it a national project.