Stakeholders in Bauchi State’s health sector have raised concerns over the rate of maternal mortality, urging the House of Assembly to fast-track the process of outlawing child delivery at home.

Bauchi, according to national data, is one of the states with the highest rate of maternal mortality in the country.

While speaking during a stakeholders and media dialogue to enlighten residents on the menace, a health specialist with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Seyi Olosunde, reeled off disturbing statistics showing that several babies are lost within their first 28 days.

Recall that Speaker of the House, Abubakar Suleiman, had on January 29, 2026, while speaking during a two-day High Level Engagement with the State, Local Government Policymakers and Legislators toward improving sexual reproductive health and rights, Maternal Newborn Child Healthcare and Nutrition, in Jos, Plateau State, said the legislative arm would raise a bill to ban childbirth at home.

Abubakar was visibly disturbed by the data from the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) that three out of 10 women in Bauchi deliver in hospitals, representing 31 per cent, while 69 per cent deliver at home.

A Social Behaviour Change expert with UNICEF, George Eki, said the legislation could address some of the cultural norms and harmful practices associated with childbirth.