Nigeria Health Watch
In 2021, we discussed the first phase of the Saving Mothers Giving Life (SMGL) project which was implemented in Cross River State; and introduced SMGL 2.0, the second phase of the initiative being implemented by Pathfinder International with the aim of improving access to maternal and newborn health services and strengthening collaboration and partnership between […]
In 2020, we shone a spotlight on RICOM3, a programme focused on helping Nigerian women take ownership of their pregnancy journey, by going the extra mile to implement a Quality of Care (QoC) model that women and health care workers can easily adopt, own and practice. A consortium consisting of Jhpiego, mDoc and Health Strategy […]
Improving access to quality healthcare is dependent on an effective health system that enables the promotion, prevention and reduction of premature and preventable deaths. However, providing access to essential health services, especially family planning (FP), requires sustained financial commitment. The 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) showed a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 13%. The […]
Women’s access to contraception has had a significant impact on societies, enabling them to have greater autonomy over their bodies, and the power to decide when and how many children they have. According to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, the current met need for family planning is 19.9 percent for women in urban […]
In 2019, when my father was in the Intensive Care Unit of one of Nigeria’s biggest tertiary hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory, one of the most contentious issues my family experienced was the constant chasing after specialist doctors to assess him and answer our burning questions. We would wait hours for the single cardiologist […]
About one in every five global maternal deaths happens in Nigeria. Improving maternal health outcomes must remain a key priority that generates urgent policy action. According to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), out of 100,000 live birth, 512 women will die while giving birth. In the same survey, findings suggest that the lifetime […]
“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water” — W.H. Auden. Iwa is a lively rural community of about 600 inhabitants in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State. It is just about 112 kilometres from Minna, the state’s capital and like most rural communities in North-Central Nigeria, the indigenes are predominantly farmers. Iwa is one […]
According to the 2018 NDHS Survey, it is estimated that there are 512 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. A Nigerian woman has a 1-in-22 lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum/post-abortion. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the maternal healthcare service delivery value-chains across Nigerian states. There was increased pressure on healthcare […]
In Nigeria, systemic gaps in the quality of maternal care includes the lack of life-saving medical equipment, the low adoption of the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) in facilities, and the ineffectiveness of MPDSR platforms and their inability to translate to better quality of care. These are challenges that must be addressed […]
“Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.” — Adelaide Hoodless In Nigeria, maternal health care is fragmented, so maternal health services are provided by various service providers in the public sector, private sector, informal providers and even religious institutions. In communities, culture and tradition influence maternal health-seeking behaviour […]
We have heard the statistics countless times. Nigeria accounts for nearly 20% of global maternal deaths according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey 2018, only a mere 39% of live births occur in health facilities, with 61% of births taking place outside of a health facility. According to […]
Every year from August 1–7, Nigeria joins over 170 countries globally to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week. This is one of the greatest outreach vehicles for the promotion of optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. The event, formally endorsed by the 1990 WHO Innocenti Declaration and policymakers across the globe, reaffirms commitment to breastfeeding […]