A recent report from the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank has revealed that about 144 Nigerian women die daily from pregnancy and childbirth complications. Imagine that plane crashes that usually claim about this same figure happens everyday. Focus has been so much on governmental affairs that do not reflect on the citizens’ wellbeing
Budgeted funds are at times returned as unspent while 52,560 Nigerian women consigned to early graves due to government’s failure to provide facilities to assist in pregnancy and childbirth. It is sad that this unfortunate scourge is only known to people who are related to the affected women who pass on during pregnancy and childbirth. Government is not seen to be sensitive in this regard. While Nigerians groan under the heavy weight of bad roads, unwarranted fuel scarcity and falling electricity supply (the Presidency has affirmed that the 6000MW promised earlier is no more feasible), government activities are grinding to a halt on account of our president’s sickness. Apart from lack of infrastructure and facilities, there is also lack of awareness as regards what government is doing to address these failings that have become societal ailments. In Africa, only Sierra Leone (just recovering from a recent civil war) and Niger have similar scary records in this regard. Taking a holistic look at this scourge, we recommend that government should embark on massive enlightenment campaign against under-age marriages, clamp down on all unregistered and untrained midwifery homes or clinics and embark on a closer study of the death incidents on geographical, age, tribal and social considerations of women involved in this particular misfortune. The acute shortage of medical personnel in our public medical institutions (general hospitals and teaching hospitals) must be addressed against the backdrop of high number of patients that queue to see few doctors on duty in many teaching and general hospitals. N500 million is being proposed to be spent on purchase and maintenance of generating sets in Aso Rock, when our health institutions lack stable electricity supply and portable water needed to support all the life-saving activities. Health, education and food security are critical indices of people’s welfare in any country and therefore, we recommend that government must pay more attention to the plight of the citizens it has pledged on aoth to serve.
Source: Africa Daily
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