By Patricia Whitehead, Asaba
With the third-highest maternal mortality rate in the world, the recent demographic and health survey has revealed that more women give birth at home more than they patronize health facilities.
According to findings of 2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), a total of 41, 821 women between the ages of 15 to 49 were interviewed across the 36 states of the federation.
The survey revealed that 59 per cent of births were delivered at home while 56 per cent of women and 60 per cent of newborns never got postnatal checks within the first 41 and 60 days respectively.
Worrisome as it may, the report also showed that the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) ratio in Nigeria is 512 deaths per 100, 000 live births while Under-Five mortality is more than three times prevalent among children from poor homes.
The survey was conducted by the National Population Commission (NPC) in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among other partners.
The 2018 NDHS is the 6 demographic and health survey conducted in Nigeria since 1990 to provide reliable estimates of demographic and health indicators as it concerned women and children.
