Maternal Mortality in Nigeria!


I saw a write up on the video below on Nigerian Health Watch! And I promptly went to watch it. Watching the video brought back so many memories, many of which are personal. Many times people look at the statistics, the Maternal Mortality Rate was 740 per 100,000 when I was in final year in Medical School. But beyond the statistics, what are the stories of the women who go to the labor ward and never return or who come back without a child and some scar on their bodies and in their souls!

I went through many of the feelings that the new father in the video went through- being told to go and get blood (thankfully we did not have to buy any), watching helplessly as she was wheeled into theatre, being extremely anxious when she did not come out of theatre as soon as we had hoped, seeing her swollen face and body and symptoms of hypoxia were nerve wracking!

Thankfully she survived, read her story here, here and here

So much for the MDG's with respect to improving maternal survival, in many parts of Nigeria, this is simply still a dream! It makes me understand why many who can afford it up and leave the country to have babies, no one wants to become just another statistic.

A lot can change, a lot will change. Little steps, little victories won!

I'll be shamelessly plugging for Berachah Foundation- Blood for Life which is an NGO situated in the General Hospital Lagos premises that has for years been trying to recruit a small army of volountary blood donors. Please stop by and donate your blood, your finances, your money! Nothing is too small. They have helped several people receive blood and supply blood to some of the Government hospitals. Your contributions will go a long way to ensuring that some mother survives childbirth if she needs blood and you gain the tremendous satisfaction of having helped save a life.

That's another less statistic to record!


Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

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