Maternal Mortality in Northern Nigeria: Some Non Medical Causes

Abstract

The paper relies on existing works and researchers’ personal observation (PO) of the phenomenon of maternal mortality in northern Nigeria. It identified and discusses the non medical causes of maternal mortality in the area. Poverty, corruption, illiteracy and culture, among other fact- ors, were identified to be responsible for the phenomenon. The paper therefore suggested that if the situation must be improved and thus maternal health mortality significantly reduced, there is the need for Government to strongly recognise the role of the health sector in the development of Nigeria and thus take affirmative action that will bring about a significant positive change in the maternal health facilities and maternal health human capital development for her increasing population. Such involve putting in place the right policies for maternal health and translating these into workable plans and programmes that will bring about improvement in the sector. These should include, among other things, provision of obstric care, training and retraining of birth attendants to make them highly skilled and more efficient, provision of postpartum care and transportation to maternal health facilities during complication. Other social and economic determinants of maternal heath that will lead to better health outcomes be focused on and addressed for better maternal health development outcomes for Nigeria north and the country at large.