Benue ranks 2nd with cases of maternal deaths in Nigeria -Alyewan insists

From Attah Ede, Makurdi 

The Director of  NKST Primary Health Care (PHC), in Benue State, Samuel Alyewan, has identified excessive bleeding after childbirth, as one of the leading causes of maternal deaths with an estimated ratio of about 1046 deaths out of every 100,000 live births recorded in Benue State, thereby  ranking the state next to Katsina in Nigeria with such cases.

He revealed this while addressing participants  at the end of the three-days training for health workers on use of Anti-Shock garment held in Gboko, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State at the weekend.

The director maintained that as part of measures to reduce maternal deaths resulting from Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH), the NKST Reproductive Health Unit, Mkar, decided to trained Community Health Extension Workers on the use of Non-pneumatic Anti Shock Garment (NASG).

NASG is a fit-for-purpose device that can save Women’s lives through reducing blood loss and stabilizing the women until treatment is available.

He explained that the figures  being recorded as deaths during childbirth in the State is quite alarming, stressing that in  developed countries it’s just about seven deaths out of out 100,000 live births. 

He added if 1000 women are dying out of labour or during childbirth, then it’s alarming as society needs those women and the children too.

While lamenting that women are dying from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, the Director said the deaths could be prevented with timely and effective Maternal health care management and equipment.

Alyewan maintained that PPH requires emergency treatment but lamented that most health workers lacked the prerequisite skills to save the lives of women when such situations occur.

He therefore expressed confidence that the training on the use of anti shock garments has equipped the workers with the required skills to reduce to Maternal mortality and urged them to go back to their facilities and communities to put their skills to good use and save lives.

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“The workshop it very important because it has given them the skills to help the women to get pregnant and deliver safely 

The NKST is a faith based organization, established by the missionaries, that is engaged in Primary Health Care services, agriculture , education and spreading the gospel. Currently, the NKST has over 100 PHC facilities spread across Benue State, Taraba and Cross River States.

Alyewan, who noted that the NKST is overwhelmed, called for support from the governments, good spirited individuals and also local, national and international organizations in the area of equipment, human resources, infrastructural upgrade to enable them to step up their services.

Earlier, the Coordinator NKST Reproductive Health, Sarah Ingbian said the training was to equip the workers on how to apply and remove Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) and also train them other skills needed to prevent other causes of maternal deaths.

She said the organization called for the training because the device has been introduced as one of the essential equipment for managing maternal and child health and being a component of reproductive health, it became imperative that their staff should be equipped with the skills to help reduce maternal mortality.

She said WHO reports show that Nigeria is the third country with the highest maternity mortality and in Nigeria, Katsina and Benue state are among the states contributing the highest maternal mortality rate.

She said the trainees were put through causes of maternal deaths, causes and management post-Partum Hemorrhage, how to use and remove the NASG device when it occurs. While disclosing that the training would be expanded for more workers urged them to use their new knowledge to improve on the services in their facilities. 

The NKST Reproductive Health coordinator appealed to the State Government and other International bodies to help supply these facilities with The Anti shock Garment (NASG) to enable them to reduce maternal deaths in the rural areas.

Some of the trainees who spoke to our correspondent; Godwin Yina, Athanasius Shaayange, Dorcas Abue and Joyce Anikpa, appreciated the NKST Reproductive Health Unit for the training pledging not just to put it to good use but to also step down the skills to their colleagues so that together they can safeguard the lives of pregnant mothers in Benue state.

They also pleaded that they need these NASG in their health centers.

The participants were drawn from NKST PHC facilities from eight Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state including Gboko, Katsina-Ala, Guma, Ukum, Vandeikya, Konshisha among others.