"[T]he use of a community-based participatory research approach enhanced the effectiveness and promoted the attainment of positive outcomes for a project designed to improve the use of skilled pregnancy care in rural Nigeria." In 2019, Nigeria and India accounted for almost a third of all under-five deaths in the world.
“Kangaroo mother care” is widely acknowledged as a helpful method in caring for small and preterm infants. It makes a vital contribution to their survival, well-being and development. Developed in 1978 by Colombian paediatrician Edgar Ray, kangaroo care involves continuous skin-to-skin contact on the mother’s chest to keep the baby warm, increase breastfeeding frequency, and aid in recognising danger signs of illness.
Preterm births often come with dangerous complications. They are the largest cause of neonatal deaths globally – 35% in 2017. In African countries, preterm babies die at a rate of 8.5 per 1,000 live births – much higher than the 1.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in high income countries.
Onyebuchi Ezigbo
The federal government has stated that Nigeria records 830 daily fatalities among pregnant women during childbirth, totaling about 302,950 yearly.
It also estimated that Nigeria recorded 289, 000 maternal deaths and maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 210 maternal deaths per 100, 000 live births in 2013.
The government also said that Nigeria accounted for 13 per cent of all maternal deaths in 2013, adding that the maternal mortality ratio for Nigeria was 814 per 100,000 live births in 2015.
These statistics were contained in a speech made by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, at the regional workshop to disseminate results of research projects on maternal and child health within the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) region.