For many women in Kura, pregnancy and childbirth remain a dangerous journey. The lack of adequate maternal healthcare services has led to preventable tragedies, prompting urgent calls for action. At a recent town hall meeting held on February 19, 2025, at Kura's Emir's Palace, residents shared emotional testimonies that underscored the pressing need for improved maternal healthcare.
Kura's primary healthcare facilities, including the Tanawa Health Centre and Gundutse Primary Healthcare (PHC), struggle with inadequate maternity services. The facilities lack proper maternity wards, trained personnel, and essential resources, forcing many women to deliver under unsafe conditions.
While Kura's health centres are expected to provide essential maternal care, community members highlighted the barriers preventing women from accessing quality services. Many women rely on home deliveries due to financial constraints and the long distances to health facilities.
Kamilu, a resident of Kura, left the town hall meeting with a newfound understanding of his role in ensuring his wife's safe delivery. "I now realise that my wife's health is my responsibility. No matter what, I must ensure she gets the care she needs," he said.
Another resident, Hindatu Shu'aibu Aliyu shared a tragic account of a woman who suffered complications and needed urgent care. However, her treatment was delayed because she required her husband's approval--by the time consent was granted, it was too late. Such heartbreaking stories were echoed throughout the session.
Hindatu Shu'aibu Aliyu emphasised, "men in our community refuse to take their wives to health facilities until complications arise. This has cost too many lives."
Health professionals at the event stressed the dangers of home deliveries and the importance of facility-based births. Hafsa Muhammad, the Officer-in-Charge of Gundutse PHC, stated, "maternal mortality worries me as a woman and a healthcare worker. Pregnant women avoid our facility for deliveries, yet home delivery is dangerous. We need renewed sensitisation efforts."
The absence of regular health education further compounds the issue, leaving expectant mothers uninformed about the dangers of home births.
Dinatu Dama Ma'aji from Kasham Girls Initiative noted that Kura's health centres lack trained personnel to conduct health talks and suggested that nearby trained midwives offer voluntary services to bridge this gap.
The testimonies highlighted systemic gaps in Kura's maternal healthcare services, from understaffing to inadequate infrastructure. The Tanawa Health Centre lacks a proper maternity ward, forcing women to give birth in substandard conditions. The community is also calling for the reintroduction of free deliveries in public health facilities to ease financial burdens on families.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Aaron Bawala, Nigeria Health Watch's Community Engagement Coordinator, emphasised the need for a holistic approach: "sensitisation should include men to ensure they support facility-based deliveries. The cost of intervention is minimal compared to the devastating consequences of inadequate maternal care."
Alhaji Mudahhiru Nasir, Kura's District Head, emphasised the gravity of the situation and promised to direct the leaders at the community level to monitor the facilities that fall under their control. "I will also direct them to utilise all the resources they have at their disposal--town criers or mosques to spread this important word," Nasir said.
The call for transformation at the Kura townhall meeting resonates with the second pillar of Nigeria's Health Sector Renewal Plan (2023-2026), which seeks improved health infrastructure and access, improved emergency response systems, and extensive community sensitisation programs for improved health-seeking behaviour.
Call to Action:
- Husbands need to be sensitised to their responsibility in promoting maternal health by facilitating their wives' access to health facilities, especially during pregnancy.
- Community Leaders to utilise local forums to mobilise and sensitise communities on the advantages of facility-based deliveries.
Kamilu's recent dedication is a rallying cry for the whole community: "Healthy mothers mean healthy communities."
