BAUCHI, Nigeria — Nigeria accounts for approximately 29 per cent of maternal deaths worldwide, making it the country with the highest maternal mortality burden globally, according to United Nations reports.
The crisis is further highlighted by figures cited from the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), which indicate that approximately 68,000 women die annually from pregnancy-related complications in Nigeria, out of an estimated 20 million deliveries.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Gender and Reproductive Health Specialist, Musa Elisha, disclosed this during a two-day capacity-strengthening training for journalists on accurate reporting of the agency’s Ninth Country Programme in Bauchi State.
The training was organised by the Bauchi State Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination in partnership with UNFPA and Journalists for Public Health (J4PD). It was held at the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) Hall in Bauchi, reports Daily Independent.
Elisha called for a strategic partnership between the media and health sector stakeholders to improve healthcare transparency, attract donor funding and increase awareness of maternal health challenges at the grassroots.
He explained that the majority of maternal deaths in Nigeria were associated with preventable medical complications, including postpartum haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and sepsis.
Postpartum haemorrhage, which involves severe bleeding after childbirth, was identified as a leading cause of maternal deaths, while pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, conditions associated with dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy, also contribute significantly to maternal fatalities.
Other complications include sepsis, an infection reportedly responsible for 15 per cent of maternal deaths, and unsafe abortions, which the presentation linked to restrictive legal frameworks and the resort to clandestine procedures by some young women and teenage girls.
Obstetric embolism, according to the presentation, accounts for eight per cent of recorded maternal fatalities, while other conditions, including malaria, HIV, diabetes and hepatitis, further increase pregnancy-related risks.
Beyond deaths, Elisha said maternal health complications leave many survivors with severe and lasting disabilities.
“Beyond mortality, survival often comes with severe morbidity. For every woman who dies in childbirth, 20 to 30 others suffer severe, long-term complications, most notably obstetric fistula,” he said.
He noted that maternal mortality was unevenly distributed across the country, with northern Nigeria recording particularly high rates, while the South-East and South-West generally recorded lower figures.
Elisha attributed the disparities partly to gender inequality, explaining that some pregnant women lacked the autonomy to make independent decisions about seeking medical attention.
Consequently, some women delay accessing healthcare until complications become life-threatening.
He added that although health facilities had been established in different parts of the country, some women remained unaware of their locations or were dissatisfied with the quality of services available.
Elisha described the media as a critical partner in reversing the trend, urging journalists to monitor health data, document the impact of interventions and scrutinise the deployment of donor funds.
He said evidence-based reporting on programmes implemented by UNFPA in partnership with national health institutions could demonstrate progress, strengthen accountability and help attract additional international funding.
The specialist also urged journalists to move beyond reporting statistics by raising awareness about available healthcare facilities and working with traditional rulers, religious leaders and community influencers to dismantle social barriers preventing women and girls from accessing maternal and newborn healthcare.
UNFPA Tasks Journalists on Investigative Reporting
Also speaking at the training, UNFPA Gender-Based Violence Specialist, Dr Zubiada Abubakar, challenged journalists to look beyond maternal mortality figures and investigate critical gaps in the country’s healthcare system.
She called for in-depth reporting on government-funded healthcare programmes, including the effectiveness of rural maternal transport schemes, while stressing the need to protect the dignity, privacy and rights of vulnerable survivors.
Abubakar disclosed that UNFPA was supporting 14 states across Nigeria to expand emergency community-based healthcare access and strengthen implementation of the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) framework.
According to her, the programme adopts a strict “no name, no blame, no shame” approach to enable communities and governments to track, review and prevent maternal and perinatal deaths without exposing individuals to stigma or punishment.
She urged journalists to assess the actual capacity and operational standards of primary healthcare centres, particularly in rural communities.
Among the areas she identified for investigation were the functionality of healthcare infrastructure, the availability of essential services and whether rural facilities met basic quality standards.
She also encouraged reporters to examine local health records, including the number of successful deliveries, emergency caesarean sections and patients discharged, as well as deaths resulting from potentially avoidable complications.
Abubakar further highlighted staffing shortages, particularly the gaps between the number of trained midwives graduating from state institutions and the availability of qualified personnel in rural healthcare facilities.
She urged journalists to investigate why trained healthcare workers were often missing from facilities where their services were most urgently needed.
On obstetric fistula, she described the condition as a devastating childbirth injury that can leave affected women with chronic incontinence and severe social consequences.
She said UNFPA had expanded its regional support, including the establishment of a 15-bed maternity and fistula repair unit at a government maternity hospital located approximately four to five hours from a northern state capital.
Specialist Warns Against Sensational Reporting
Abubakar urged journalists to document the experiences of women affected by maternal health complications while adhering to strict ethical standards.
She cautioned against sensationalism, pity-driven narratives and victim-blaming, stressing that interviews with survivors must be based on informed and voluntary consent.
According to her, written or documented verbal consent must be obtained freely, and access to healthcare services or assistance must never be made conditional on a survivor agreeing to an interview.
She also emphasised the importance of protecting survivors’ privacy and dignity and using accurate medical terminology to distinguish between maternal mortality, which refers to deaths, and maternal morbidity, which concerns illness or complications.
Abubakar urged media organisations to report maternal health challenges as systemic problems rather than isolated tragedies.
She said reports should recognise affected women as mothers, wives and valued members of their communities while holding governments accountable for improving healthcare services.
She further called for increased domestic funding for health insurance and social protection programmes to reduce the financial barriers preventing women from accessing essential maternal healthcare.
Bauchi Government, J4PD Stress Media Responsibility
In his remarks, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Information, Dr Usman Shehu Usman, represented by a director in the ministry, described the media as a strategic partner in raising public awareness and strengthening government accountability.
He said reporting on sensitive health issues required professionalism, accuracy and respect for the dignity and privacy of survivors.
“As media practitioners, you have a distinct responsibility to challenge misinformation and give visibility to the vulnerable groups in our communities,” the commissioner stated.
The Executive Director of J4PD, Elizabeth Kah, said the training came at a critical time when journalists needed specialised knowledge to contribute effectively to public health and development goals.
She expressed appreciation to UNFPA and the Bauchi State Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination for their collaboration and for entrusting J4PD with the project’s visibility activities.
Kah described the partnership, which she said had continued over the past few years, as rewarding.
She explained that J4PD emerged from the Bauchi Public Health Media Network and was founded in 2018 by a group of experienced media practitioners seeking to use journalism to promote public awareness and social accountability.
The organisation was formally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in 2020 as a non-profit, non-political and non-religious non-governmental organisation.
