Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Mar 14;7(5):849-855.
doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2019.041. eCollection 2019 Mar 15.

Maternal Mortality and Maternal Health Care in Nigeria: Implications for Socio-Economic Development

Olawale Olonade  1 , Tomike I Olawande  1 , Oluwatobi Joseph Alabi  1 , David Imhonopi  1
Affiliations
Review

Maternal Mortality and Maternal Health Care in Nigeria: Implications for Socio-Economic Development

Olawale Olonade et al. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. .

Abstract

Background: Even though maternal mortality, which is a pregnancy-related death is preventable, it has continued to increase in many nations of the world, especially in the African countries of the sub-Saharan regions caused by factors which include a low level of socioeconomic development.

Aim: This paper focuses on cogent issues affecting maternal mortality by unpacking its precipitating factors and examining the maternal health care system in Nigeria.

Methods: Contemporary works of literature were reviewed, and the functionalist perspective served as a theoretical guide to examine the interrelated functions of several sectors of the society to the outcome of maternal mortality.

Results: It was noted that apart from the medical related causes (direct and indirect) of maternal mortality, certain socio-cultural and socioeconomic factors influence the outcome of pregnancy. Also, a poor health care system, which is a consequent of weak social structure, is a contributing factor.

Conclusion: As a result, maternal mortality has debilitating effects on the socioeconomic development of any nation. It is therefore pertinent for the government to improve maternal health and eradicate poverty to ensure sustainable development.

Keywords: Development; Health care; Maternal mortality; Morbidity; Reproductive lifecycle.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. World Health Organization. Fact sheets. 2018
    1. United Nations International Children and Emergency Funds. Report on maternal mortality. 2015
    1. Nwokocha EE. Maternal crises and the role of African men:The case of Nigerian Community. African Journal of Population Studies. 2008;22(1)
    1. Okeke EC, Oluwuo SO, Azil EI. Women's Perception of Males'Involvement in Maternal Healthcare in Rivers State, Nigeria. International Journal of Health and Psychology Research. 2016;1:9–21.
    1. Elem M, Nyeche S. Health Inequality and the Empowerment of Reproductive Age of Women for Development in Rivers State Primary Health Care Strategy in the Reduction of Maternal Mortality (2007-2015) International Journal of Advanced Academic Research. Social and Management Sciences. 2016;2(11)

LinkOut - more resources