Gynaecologist urges leaders to promote child-spacing to reduce maternal mortality

A gynaecologist, Dr. Zubairu Usman, on Tuesday urged Nigerian leaders to have the political will to promote child-spacing to curb maternal mortality.
Usman, who works at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Kaduna State made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Zaria, Kaduna State.
He said that maternal mortality rate in the country was quite alarming compared to other developing countries.
Usman said: “Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio is about 800 per 100,000 life-births.
“This is of course, very high compared to some developing nations with less than 100 per 100,000.
“This is unacceptable; something needs to be done to save the lives of our women, hence, the need for political will by our leaders.
“This is a serious matter and of great importance.
“Measures need to be put in place to bring down the level of maternal mortality in our country.”
Usman listed some advantages of child-spacing as: “It provides woman the chance to recover sufficiently before she gets pregnant again.
“This is because, when a woman gets pregnant and delivers, she loses body nutrients that need to be built up; and of course, she needs enough time to rest.
“The resting period will enable her to regain these nutrients to carry the next pregnancy successfully.
“It will also give the couple time to plan financially and ample time to bond with the child.”
Usman said that pregnancy-related problems contributed to the main causes of maternal mortality.
According to him, these include unsafe abortion of unwanted pregnancies, even among the married couples.
He explained: “Others are excessive bleeding after delivery, eclampsia, infection after delivery or after an abortion, complication after pregnancy and women who have several deliveries.
“There are certain women who have certain medical conditions that require them not to take-in frequently.
“These women include the hypertensive, diabetic and those with sickle cell anaemia; they are required to have wider resting period.
“In addition, some women who had Caesarean Section are advised to have a degree of spacing before their next pregnancy and delivery.”