Over 950,000 Women in Zamfara Face Deadly Risk of Maternal Death

Dr. Aisha Anka, the Commissioner for Health in Zamfara, has announced that over 950,000 women in the state are at high risk of maternal deaths.

Dr. Anka made this statement in Gusau on Monday during the opening ceremony of a five-day workshop on preventing maternal deaths for health workers in the state. The workshop is organized by the Health for Life and Development Foundation, an NGO, in collaboration with the state Ministry of Health and the Hospital Services Management Board, with support from the United Nations Population Fund.

Represented by Mustafa Marafa, the Executive Secretary of the State Hospital Services Management Board, Dr. Anka emphasized the importance of the training. According to the commissioner, Nigeria accounts for 14 percent of the global maternal death total, with northern Nigeria, including Zamfara, contributing to 70 percent of maternal deaths in the country.

The 50 nurses and midwives attending the training were selected from various health facilities across the state. “The workshop signifies the government’s commitment to improving maternal health in the state,” Dr. Anka stated. “This training is aimed at ensuring the safe delivery of babies across all health facilities in the state. The participants were carefully selected; they are nurses and midwives in charge of labor rooms in health facilities across the state.”

She also noted, “Governor Dauda Lawal has declared a state of emergency on the health sector, and the state government has embarked on the total renovation of health facilities. This training is part of the government’s commitment to promote capacity, manpower, and skills of our health workers across the state.”

Earlier, Dr. Abubakar Danladi, the Executive Director of the Health for Life and Development Foundation, explained that the training was organized in response to the increase in maternal mortality in the state. “This training is to ensure that our health workers are well-equipped to handle health cases related to maternal deaths. It focuses on building the capacity of our nurses and midwives to manage direct and indirect causes of preventable maternal deaths. Part of the mandate of this training is for participants to cascade the skills they acquire to their respective health facilities,” he said.