Maternal death: 950,000 Zamfara women at high risk

By Aminu Abdullahi Gusau.

About 950,000 women in Zamfara on high risk of maternal death, the Executive Secretary, State Hospital Services Management Board, Mustafa Marafa has said.

Marafa disclosed this in Gusau on Monday while speaking with Journalists at the opening ceremony of a Five-day workshop on preventable maternal deaths for health workers in the state.

The training was organized by an NGO "Health for Life Foundation"  in collaboration with State Ministry of Health and Hospital Services Management Board.

The training being supported by the United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA).

Marafa who represented state Commissioner of Health, Dr Aisha Anka at the event said Nigeria records 14 percent of the total maternal death globally.

He noted that the Northern Nigeria including Zamfara has a record of 70 percent of maternal death in Nigeria.

According to him, a total of 50 nurses and midwives were drowned from health facilities across the state attending the training.

"The workshop is signifying government's commitment to improve maternal health in the state. 

"This training aimed to ensure a safe delivery of babies across all health facilities in the state.

"The participants were carefully selected, they nurses and midwives incharge of labour rooms in the health facilities across the state", he said.

"As we are all aware, that His Excellency Gov Dauda Lawal declared emergency on health sector.

"The state government embarked on total renovation of health facilities across the state.

"This training is part of the government's commitment to promote capacity, manpower and skills of our health workers across the state", he explained.

Earlier, the Executive Director Health for Life Foundation, Dr Abubakar Danladi said the training was organized based on the recognition of increase of maternal mortality in the state.

"This training to ensure that our health workers are well equipped to handle health cases related to maternal deaths.

"This is for capacity building of our Nurses and Midwives of on management of direct and indirect causes of preventable maternal death.

"Part of the mandate of this training was participants will cascade the skills they would learn in their respective health facilities", Dr Danladi explained.