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The Critical Role of Nurses and Midwives in Reducing Maternal Mortality in Nigeria
Table of Contents
Published: 2025/12/24 10:49:12
Introduction
Nurses and midwives are essential to healthcare delivery, particularly for women’s health in Nigeria.They ofen represent the first – and sometimes only – point of contact for pregnant women and new mothers. Despite comprising over 20% of Nigeria’s licensed professional health workforce, the contry continues to grapple with alarmingly high maternal mortality rates. Equipping these healthcare professionals with essential obstetric skills is crucial to improving access to timely,quality care and ultimately saving lives.
The State of Maternal Mortality in Nigeria
Nigeria faces a notable maternal mortality crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio at 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, placing it among the nations with the highest rates globally.The 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey reported 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, a figure still considered unacceptably high. These deaths are often preventable with access to skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care.
Key Contributing Factors
- limited Access to healthcare: Geographic barriers,financial constraints,and inadequate infrastructure hinder access to essential maternal healthcare services,especially in rural areas.
- Shortage of Skilled Birth Attendants: A lack of adequately trained nurses and midwives contributes to unsafe deliveries and complications.
- Delayed or Absent Emergency Obstetric Care: Delays in seeking care, coupled with limited availability of emergency services, exacerbate complications during childbirth.
- Postpartum Hemorrhage: This remains a leading cause of maternal death, often due to inadequate management and lack of access to blood transfusions.
- Infection: Infections following childbirth, often stemming from unhygienic practices, contribute considerably to maternal mortality.
The Role of Nurses and Midwives
Nurses and midwives are uniquely positioned to address the challenges of maternal mortality in Nigeria. Their roles extend beyond delivery and encompass complete antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, postnatal care, and family planning services.
Essential Obstetric Skills
Strengthening the skills of nurses and midwives in the following areas is paramount:
- Antenatal Care: Identifying and managing risk factors during pregnancy, providing essential health education, and ensuring timely referrals.
- Skilled Birth Attendance: Managing normal deliveries, recognizing and responding to obstetric emergencies, and providing immediate postnatal care.
- Emergency Obstetric Care: Managing complications such as postpartum hemorrhage, eclampsia, obstructed labor, and sepsis. This includes administering medications, performing manual vacuum aspiration, and preparing for cesarean sections.
- Postnatal Care: Monitoring mothers and newborns for complications, providing breastfeeding support, and offering family planning counseling.
Current initiatives and Challenges
Several initiatives aim to improve the capacity of nurses and midwives in Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with organizations like the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), implements training programs and provides essential equipment. Though, challenges remain:
- Inadequate funding: Limited financial resources hinder the scale-up of training programs and the provision of essential supplies.
- Uneven Distribution of Healthcare Workers: A significant disparity exists in the distribution of nurses and midwives, with rural areas often underserved.
- Brain Drain: Many skilled healthcare professionals emigrate to seek better opportunities abroad, exacerbating the shortage of qualified personnel.
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