Maternal Mortality in Nigeria: A Literature Review

• Date: 01 March 2019
• Author: Gina Marie Piane
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.291
• Published date: 01 March 2019

Maternal Mortality in Nigeria: A Literature Review

Gina Marie Piane

One hundred forty-f‌ive Nigerian women die in childbirth every day. This review was conducted to

evaluate the inf‌luences on maternal mortality in Nigeria. It is an analysis and synthesis of the

professional literature surrounding maternal mortality in Nigeria and a review of articles in

CINAHL, Health Source, Medline in EBSCO, including PubMed, ProQuest Health and Medical

Complete, 2000–2015, analyzed and sorted into themes. The etiology of maternal mortality can be

categorized as medical, socio-economic, cultural, behavioral, and political causes. While some of the

occurrences are predicted during routine prenatal care, most occur spontaneously without warning

signs. Only one-third of births in Nigeria occur in a health facility. To provide Emergency Obstetric

Care (EmOC) in Nigeria, the community health centers and referral hospitals need to be upgraded

to provide supplies, equipment, essential drugs, and blood transfusions delivered by knowledgeable

staff at all hours. The vision of is that all pregnant women in Nigeria regardless of their income

have access to woman-centered obstetric care that provides a safety net in case of obstetric

emergency.

KEY WORDS: maternal mortality, access to health care

Background

More than half a million women and girls die each year as a result of

pregnancy, childbirth, and related complications (United States Central Intelli-

gence Agency [CIA], 2016; World Health Organization [WHO], 2010). The lifetime

risk of maternal death is more than 200 times greater for women in poor countries

compared to women in Western Europe and North America (WHO, 2010). About

99 percent of maternal deaths occur in the 53 low-income countries def‌ined as

having a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $905 or less. More than 60

percent of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa (WHO, 2010). Every 4 years

almost one million African mothers die from preventable health conditions while

women in wealthy nations give birth with very little risk of death. The tragedy of

a woman dying in childbirth extends beyond her own death, devastating her

infant, her other children, her family, and the community. Commitment is needed

among global public health leaders to identify best practices in reducing maternal

World Medical & Health Policy, Vol. 11, No. 1, 2019

83

doi: 10.1002/wmh3.291

#2019 Policy Studies Organization