The World Health Organisation (WHO) has disclosed that over 500,000 maternal deaths occur annually in developing countries, among approximately 200,000 women that become pregnant globally each year.
WHO FCT Coordinator, Dr Kumshida Yakubu Balami, who disclosed this while speaking on the sidelines of the 2025.
Safe Motherhood Day commemoration in Abuja, noted that the leading causes of maternal deaths include excessive haemorrhage, infections, hypertensive disorders, unsafe abortions, obstructed labour, anaemia, malaria, and cardiovascular diseases.
Balami said that motherhood should be a time of joy, expectation, and community celebration, adding, however, that the reality is that many women in developing countries face dire risks – particularly in settings with limited access to quality healthcare.
He noted that the key components of safe motherhood include; antenatal care, regular and comprehensive check-ups to monitor maternal and fetal health, skilled birth attendance, access to lifesaving interventions in emergencies, postnatal care, and family planning.
Other key components of motherhood, according to her, also include; access to contraceptives, counselling to enable reproductive choices, prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, promoting optimal nutritional status before, during, and after pregnancy, increasing awareness, and empowering women to make informed health decisions.
The FCT WHO Coordinator stated that achieving these components requires a robust health system, multisectoral collaboration, and community engagement.
She maintained that Nigerians must address barriers such as access to quality services, cultural norms, and health literacy to leave no woman behind.
While reaffirming the WHO’s collective commitment to advancing maternal and newborn health, Balami noted that safe motherhood initiative is a fundamental human right and a critical public health priority, launched by the United Nations in 1987, to ensure that every woman experiences pregnancy and childbirth free from preventable complications, morbidity, and mortality.
Also speaking, the acting Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Health Care Board (PHCB), Dr. Rukayat Wamakko, acknowledged its stakeholders, especially government agencies, development partners, health workers, community leaders, and women themselves, whose unwavering dedication is pivotal in realising the board’s shared vision.
Wamakko stated that the board would continue to work together to save lives and improve maternal and child health in the communities.