Laide Akinboade
21 July 2008
Lagos — AFRICA Regional Director of IPAS, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mr. William Sampson, has expressed worry at the death of records on maternal mortality in the country, saying the develop-ment was affecting statistical computation of maternal health in Nigeria.
The Regional Director, who stated this at a press conference on unsafe abortion in Abuja, said that there has been apprehension in the Nigerian health sector over the lack of documentation of maternal deaths in Nigeria.
He said that a great number of women are exposed to danger and have died through complications from unsafe abortion
He stated: "A lot of Nigerian women have died and there have not been a proper documentation and a lot of women have died from reproductive health issues of which figures are not collated," he said
"A lot of women in Nigeria have died from complications of unsafe abortions which are the reason for maternal deaths rates in the country. Unsafe abortion is a major contributor to maternal deaths, not only in Nigeria, but across the continent," he added.
According to him, the organization believes that no woman should lose her life in the process of exercising their rights.
The Regional Director said that IPAS has succeeded in giving 50,000 women free maternal health care in the last five years.
He further stated: "IPAS has actually saved over a 60,000 women from dying from the complications of abortion in the past 5 or 6 years. That is a major impact. A lot of women are deprived, lived in deprived areas where they face many challenges.
It is important that we help to make sure that we remove these challenges. IPAS has been working in the past 35 years in the area of reproductive health and the rights of women."
The IPAS Director said that between July last year and June 2008, the organisation has spent close to $11 m in the fight against unsafe abortion and maternal mortality.
"In other words, the bulk of what we do, training of midwives, production of materials that is about the average we spend within 12 months in Africa" he said.
Country Director for IPAS in Nigerian Dr. Ejike Oji, said that the organization has in the past seven years spent the sum of $12 to $13million in its campaigns in Nigeria.
Said the country Director: "The last time, my president said we've spent close toN1 billion in the past in Nigeria. This is actually a figure from my president because they have all the figures. If you convert that, money, you know how much it will be.
"Unfortunately, many women do not know what their rights are, and how to pursue these rights. We help them to pursue and attain these rights by partnering with various women groups in the society.
"Through these interactions, we have to know these peculiarities women encounter. Lack of equipment, lack of services are barriers that need to be addressed otherwise would constitute death threat to women."
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