The Nation Director of Ipas Nigeria Well being Basis, Fortunate Palmer, has recognized Nigeria as one of many international locations with the best maternal deaths on the earth.
Making the remark on Monday in a press assertion issued in Taraba State by way of the Community of Reproductive Well being Journalists-Nigeria, he stated, “Nigeria has one of many highest maternal deaths on the earth, with 1047 deaths per each 100,000 dwell births.”
Palmer, who famous that unsafe abortions contributed to over 15 per cent of the maternal deaths, believed that it’s time for stakeholders to work collaboratively in directing investments that eradicate entrenched gender disparities and empower girls and women to make choices that have an effect on them, together with sexual and reproductive choices devoid of coercion.
“It’s thoughts boggling that girls proceed to bear the brunt of a number of gaps inside our society. Gender inequality has strengthened a number of the gaps that we see round us, and that is exemplified in some worrisome statistics,” Palmer lamented.
Citing a current World Financial Report, which ranked Nigeria 122 out of 144 international locations on the Gender Hole Index, he famous that “the inherent gaps in these areas reinforce gender inequality even additional as girls and women recurrently face obstacles that restrict their means to self-determine essential life choices, together with choices on their sexual reproductive well being”.
He added that the scenario is worse for girls in susceptible communities and people with, disabilities, including that “girls already dwelling in poverty have larger charges of unintended pregnancies attributable to livelihood vulnerabilities, are unable to afford contraception, are much less educated than their friends, and lack data about or entry to sexual and reproductive well being”.
