UNICEF: 1,549 Women Die Yearly in N’east  due to Pregnancy Complications

By Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that the North-east region of Nigeria has recorded the highest maternal mortality rate in the country, saying that out of 100,000 live births, 1,549 mothers die in the North-east yearly compared to 165 in the South-west.

 A UNICEF Health Officer, Bauchi Field Office, Oluseyi Olosunde, disclosed this Monday during a two-day training for journalists on Ethical Reporting/Media Dialogue on children survival and protection issues, organised by the Bauchi State Television Authority (BATV) with support from UNICEF in Bauchi.

The training drew participants from states that are supported by the UNICEF office comprising Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba and Jigawa with resource persons drawn from UNICEF offices and consultants in media-related fields.
In his presentation on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health at the training, Olosunde said one woman dies on account of pregnancy or childbirth in Nigeria, pointing out that out of every 100,000 live births, 576 are likely to die.
The UNICEF health officer, who stressed that it was unfair for a woman to die while giving life, said that one of the key reasons for this state of affairs was the lack of care available to girls before pregnancy as well as wide prevalence of low levels of education in some northern states.
 
Details later…

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