Experts raise the alarm over maternal death rate in Kaduna

Health officials in Kaduna State, under the Maternal and Peri-Natal Deaths Surveillance and Responses (MPDSR), have said that the state recorded about 123 maternal deaths out of 10,453 deliveries in 30 secondary and tertiary facilities between January and June this year.

The revelation is contained in the synopsis of Kaduna mid-year 2018 of the MPDSR presented by its Chairman, Malam Lawal Abubakar, to Kaduna State Maternal Newborn and Child Health Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM) during the quarterly interactive forum “#Openkadunaministryofhealth Sector” held in Kaduna.

According to Abubakar, the causes of the 123 deaths include post-partum haemorrhage, ante-partum haemorrhage, sepsis, anaemia, eclampsia, ruptured uterus and embolism.
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“One of KADMAM mandate is to use evidence to promote accountability and advocate for the elimination of preventable maternal and peri-natal deaths in Kaduna State.”

Abubakar stated further that in the course of the investigation, “KADMAM identified that the hospitals visited do not have ready-to-use blood due to lack of a state-owned blood supply chain system, non-functional blood banks due to irregular supply of electricity, non-functional ambulances for emergency referral patients and pregnant women with obstetric complications, and do not have Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) kits for the management of incomplete abortion.

However, the health experts said the number of women likely to die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth could be prevented if the state Ministry of Health and Human Services could establish a mechanism that would ensure that essential life-saving drugs available in hospitals are accessible.
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