Nigeria Ranks Second Highest In Maternal Deaths Worldwide
Nigeria accounts for 29 percent of the global toll in 290,000 maternal deaths cases every year, the World Health Organisation (WHO), has disclosed in a new report.
The report tagged the 2023 Progress Report, ranked Nigeria as second highest among countries with a high number of maternal deaths in the world. The country also ranked highest globally in incidences of neonatal and child deaths.
It also highlighted 8 other countries with high maternal, neonatal and stillbirths including Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Afghanistan and the United Republic of Tanzania.
The report showed that maternal and infant mortality rates in Nigeria have stagnated since 2015, approximately occurring every year.
WHO, however, warned that based on current trends, over 60 countries, including Nigeria, may miss maternal, newborn, and stillborn mortality reduction targets set in the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The report, which blamed the trend on disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic, also showed that Nigeria took the second position as more women continued to die from pregnancy-related problems in the last three years.
Other factors of concern include growing poverty, worsening humanitarian conditions and inadequate funding bedevilling countries across the globe.
