A forgotten Priority: Maternal Health Service Infrastructure

Count Down to IWD 2012: 7 Days to Go!

“Weak health service infrastructure contributes to poor maternal health”

March 8th every year the celebration of the International Women’s Day, as constituted by the UN has been an on-going event; it is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is a day to honor past struggles and advances made by women as well as serve as a reminder of the untapped potentials (and opportunities) and continued actions needed to ensure that the advances are maintained and built upon to achieve gender equality in all aspects of life.

For 2012, the theme is Connecting Girls, Inspiring futures!  As good as the annual celebrations with various wonder theme and its intended objectives, there is an urgent issue that could underscore whatever success we are celebrating or projected future we hope for and that is the issue of maternal health services, as I speak now, across Nigeria and Africa, the presence of weak health service infrastructure has become a normal thing, to compound the worst situation, needed skilled personnel are inadequate, infrastructure and poor functioning equipment & a lack of essential drugs and supplies.   

Policy makers and Government of African States must know, if they are not aware already that improving maternal health remains the most elusive of the MDGs, statistics has it that every minutes, at least one woman dies from pregnancy-related causes, and 99% of these are in developing countries.  Majority of these deaths occurs in sub-Sahara Africa & South Asia and are avoidable, if our leadership would make available standard interventions and health care which all pregnant women and their newborns needs. As we plan to mark the 2012 International Women’s Day, with the aim of connecting Girls to opportunities that will give us an innovative future, we should not forget that this year also marks the 25th anniversary of Silver Jubilee of the Safe Motherhood Movement.

As we count-down to the D-Day, mostly filled with speeches and promises, we quickly forget come April, I call on Governments and International partners to know remember a forgotten priority: provision of solid maternal health service infrastructure, to me apart from access to education, access to quality health services and products, is the best connection we can give to girls that will inspire futures!