NKECHI was full of life and in high spirits.
She was nine months pregnant and was already feeling the contractions of
labour at well-spaced intervals. She had no expectation of problems and
was hopeful of a normal delivery.
She woke very early on the D-Day, dressed up and packed her bags. The hospital was over 25 kilometres away, so she had to wait for her husband to run around and get enough money to give to her for the trip. That was the first delay.
Finally, she boarded a taxi and departed. But there was heavy traffic. A journey that should have taken about 30 minutes lasted three hours. That was the second delay.
At the hospital, Nkechi waited for patients. She waited almost six hours before she could see a doctor. That was the third delay.
Even on seeing the doctor, Nkechi could not be admitted because there was no bed. The wards were full. Nkechi was told to go home and report back the next day because her contractions were still too far apart. More delays.
Little did anyone know the unexpected would happen. That same night she began to bleed. The bleeding was uncontrollable. She was rushed to a nearby hospital. Alas, it was already too late.Nkechi and her unborn baby died.
Such has been the fate of many Nigerian women. Today, getting preg
nant in Nigeria is almost a suicide mission. Statistics from the 2008 National Demographic Health Survey put Nigeria's maternal mortality ratio, MMR, at 545 per 100,000 live births, ranking second only to India in the global maternal death statistics.
A 2012 World Health Organisation, WHO, publication, "Trends in Maternal Mortality", puts the MMR in the country at 630 per 100,000 live births.
Maternal death is defined as "the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes. Nigeria may be one of the worst places in the world to become pregnant, compared to other countries. Why are our women dying?
In the view of Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Assuit University, Egypt, "Women are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat rather they are dying because societies are yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving."
She woke very early on the D-Day, dressed up and packed her bags. The hospital was over 25 kilometres away, so she had to wait for her husband to run around and get enough money to give to her for the trip. That was the first delay.
Finally, she boarded a taxi and departed. But there was heavy traffic. A journey that should have taken about 30 minutes lasted three hours. That was the second delay.
At the hospital, Nkechi waited for patients. She waited almost six hours before she could see a doctor. That was the third delay.
Even on seeing the doctor, Nkechi could not be admitted because there was no bed. The wards were full. Nkechi was told to go home and report back the next day because her contractions were still too far apart. More delays.
Little did anyone know the unexpected would happen. That same night she began to bleed. The bleeding was uncontrollable. She was rushed to a nearby hospital. Alas, it was already too late.Nkechi and her unborn baby died.
Such has been the fate of many Nigerian women. Today, getting preg
nant in Nigeria is almost a suicide mission. Statistics from the 2008 National Demographic Health Survey put Nigeria's maternal mortality ratio, MMR, at 545 per 100,000 live births, ranking second only to India in the global maternal death statistics.
A 2012 World Health Organisation, WHO, publication, "Trends in Maternal Mortality", puts the MMR in the country at 630 per 100,000 live births.
Maternal death is defined as "the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes. Nigeria may be one of the worst places in the world to become pregnant, compared to other countries. Why are our women dying?
In the view of Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Assuit University, Egypt, "Women are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat rather they are dying because societies are yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving."
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