A family physician and health care executive, Dr Diya Ololade, said misinformation remained the biggest barrier to informed reproductive choices for Nigerian women. Ololade alleged that many doctors imposed their own preferences on patients rather than presenting all available options and allowing women to decide. He identified misinformation, affordability, accessibility, availability and concerns about side effects as some of the major factors influencing reproductive health decisions.
A maternal health innovator, Mrs Eunice Benu, called for structured postnatal community support for new mothers, saying many women experienced isolation and depression after childbirth with little institutional support. Responding Mrs Ummi Umar, a Nigerian public health specialist, identified gaps in follow-up care after screening as a major challenge in the fight against cancers affecting women.
In her remarks, the Convener and Founder of VickyHeldan Empowerment Foundation, Dr Victory Njoku, said Africa could not achieve sustainable development without prioritising the health and wellbeing of its women.
The maternal health crisis in Nigeria is a story of neglect. Women die in childbirth at alarming rates. Reproductive choices are constrained by misinformation and the preferences of doctors. Postnatal support is virtually non-existent. The conference was a call to action, but the government has heard such calls before.
This echoes the 2020 maternal health conferences, which also called for action. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a recognition that women’s health is a priority, and a failure to act on that recognition.
The winners: none. The losers: Nigerian women, who continue to face inadequate maternal health services; and the Nigerian government, which has failed to prioritise women’s health.
Bottom Line: Experts are calling for better maternal health support. Women are dying. The question is whether the government will act or the conference will be another talk shop.