By Monday Osayande, Asaba

The Reproductive Health Coordinator, Delta State Ministry of Health, Dr. Weyinmi Anne Francis has said that about 200 women in every 100,000 women that give birth die yearly in Delta State.

Francis, who disclosed this in Asaba, at the Safe Motherhood Day 2025 celebration, stated that though there is a reduction in the death rate during birth in the State, “this statistics is not good enough because any death for us is a loss.”

To reduce the death rate, she advised every woman to deliver in the presence of a skilled birth attendant instead of going for a traditional birth attendant to avoid complications and untimely death.

According to the Reproductive health Coordinator, the Delta State Ministry of Health is fully committed to ensuring that women have access to quality antenatal and post-natal care for safe delivery.

“Safe motherhood in Delta is real, we care for all pregnant women and ensure that all women have essential care before and during pregnancy and during labour and safe delivery for the mother and for the child,” she said.

“We have a lot of misconceptions, women believe they can give birth at home without the skilled birth attendant that has been trained to take delivery, and most times they have complications.

“When this complication occurred before they could refer the patient to a hospital from the traditional birth attendant, in most cases, the woman dies.”

Also speaking, the Delta State Coordinator, Letter to Lady, Amb Scholarstica Ighorodje, noted that women should be empowered to make decisions about their bodies and their children.

“We advise women, married and unmarried to go for antenatal so that when there are complications, a doctor can proffer solution to it,” she said.

“We also advise husbands to follow their wives to antenatal at least five times before delivery to know what the women are going through.”