How Google Maps Can Help in Accessing Maternal Health Services

Every year, 295,000 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth globally. Nigeria accounts for an enormous 23% of these deaths. Each one is a needless tragedy, and preventing them should be a global priority. Pregnant women have a higher risk of dying if they experience any of three delays in accessing this care when they need it. These include a delay in deciding to seek care, a delay travelling to appropriate health facilities, or a delay in receiving the care they need when they get there. 

In Nigeria, it's the delay in travelling to receive care that is often the most deadly, with many women left to travel to health facilities either on their own or with the support of their relatives, without professional help. This journey is thought of as a "black box" because unravelling what happened during their travel, including delays experienced while en route, can only be analysed after it is already too late, writes Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas for The Conversation.

But with Google Maps, the most popular navigation app on earth, the app will help understand these delays and navigate busy places.  Research has shown that prompt access to nine critical maternity services, together known as emergency obstetric care, can reduce deaths of pregnant women by 15 to 50% and the deaths of their unborn babies by 45 to 75%.