Minister of Health Prof Babatunde Osotimehin has said that inadequate blood transfusion for pregnant women at the point of delivery contributes to the high maternal mortality rate in the country.

The minister who was speaking at a Mothers Night event in Abuja said that in the last 20 years, the culture of blood donation has drastically dropped which has put lives of women in grave danger.

His words, "The culture of blood donation has disappeared and what we have now is relatives of patients donating blood which is not sustainable.

We can recruit young people to donate blood at least once a year so as to have a blood bank. that way, we can make blood available to anybody who needs it, especially nursing mothers.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello host of the Mother's Night, said "If we all carry out our commitments, I am sure maternal mortality rate in Nigeria will be halved by the year 2015 as the Millennium Development Goals demand".

She stressed that the mother's night will create awareness and empower people of influence with knowledge on how they can contribute to reduce the menace of maternal mortality. She said the goals of 'Mother's Night', a concept borrowed from the Dutch parliamentarian, Mrs. Chantal Gillard, include creating awareness about maternal mortality and action that can be taken to reduce it, setting in motion a template for legislative action and mobilizing financial resources for projects that aim to reduce maternal mortality.