Procreation remains a key characteristic of living
things including mankind. In fact, the Holy Bible in Genesis chapter nine verse seven commands mankind to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth among others.
Unfortunately, reproductive process particularly in man is not without health challenges. This is where maternal and child mortality as well as morbidity comes to mind.
It is pertinent to explain that maternal mortality has to do with pregnancy-related deaths in women of reproductive age. lt encompasses the death of women while pregnant and also death within forty-two days of termination of pregnancy.
Experts agree that maternal mortality could occur as a result of direct complications of pregnancy, delivery or management of both. On the other hand, maternal mortality could occur as a result of pre-existing health challenge unrelated to pregnancy.
This could be due to the presence of disease in mothers such as the case of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS not detected early enough in pregnant women.
The concept of maternal and child morbidity is applicable to the presence of infections otherwise referred to as sepsis in pregnant women and new born children.
According to World Health Organization in its 2005 World Health Reports titled: “Make Every Mother and Child Count”, the major causes of maternal death include severe hemorrhage which accounts for twenty-five per cent infection, thirteen per cent; unsafe abortion, thirteen per cent also, eclampsia or convulsion related complication twelve per cent, obstructed labour, eight per cent.
This is not to undermine the challenges of lack of early antenatal care, teenage pregnancies, poor referral system, patronage of unskilled traditional birth attendants as well as lack of access to health care services and ruptured uterus.
Infant deaths occur largely in children within five years while more than half of total deaths in children truly take place in children under one year.
Doctor Roland Obed-Whyte of the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board disclosed in an interview that over ninety-five per cent of the total death of children occur in developing countries including Nigeria.
It is also on record that pneumonia, diahorrhoa, toxaenia, malnutrition, malaria, preterm birth complications and birth asphycia account for child mortality.
Interestingly, maternal and child health have received global attention in the past decades.
For instance, maternal and child health form the crux of the United Nations MDG’s four and five.
Millenium Development Goals four (4) specifically emphasises reduction of child death while goal five (5) places emphasis on maternal health.
Today, maternal mortality ratio which deals with risks associated with pregnancy is largely described as obstetric risk and in some climes MDG indicator.
The joy of live birth otherwise regarded as successful expulsion or extraction from a mother of a product of conception irrespective of duration of pregnancy remains a thing of joy and one that evokes celebration by family members worldwide.
Available records by relevant international organizations show that all regions of the world have recorded significant progress in checking maternal and child mortality even though increased interventions are of utmost necessity.
In Nigeria, for instance, the Federal, State, and Local Governments are collaborating and working assiduouslv not only to reduce poverty but to make maternal and child mortality a thing of the past.
It is gratifying that the Federal and State Governments synergize efforts to providing routine immunization exercises nationwide to reduce child deaths in the country.
In Rivers State, government provides free medicare which accommodates pregnant women including free surgery for registered women under the scheme.
Besides, the avalanche of primary health centres across the State has provided access to healthcare delivery and in turn bridge rural- urban gap which hitherto existed.
No doubt, the setting-up of Rivers State Primary Health Care Board remains a proactive strategy to truly bring health care to the masses and to coordinate efforts of government and intervention agencies.
To this end, to check maternal and child mortality in Nigeria, all hands must be on deck.
Women particularly those who are pregnant and those of reproductive age must take advantage of various healtty care initiative of government at federal, state and local government levels to meet their health care needs.
There cannot be an overdose of awareness campaign to this effect.
Rivers State Government must make its free health care service truly free and efficient and must not wait for medical doctors and other health care workers to embark on industrial action to provide relevant funds.
Government must also provide relevant vaccines including tetanus toxoid which is reportedly lacking in some states including Rivers State.
Pregnant women should embrace orthodox medication by registering for antenatal care and reduce dependence on harmful traditional practices that may lead to death of mother and child as well as infection.
Mothers and guardians must present their children and wards for free routine immunization programmes available in the nation and save them from childhood killer diseases such as polio, tuberculosis etc.
Attention must be drawn to training and retraining of doctors and other health care workers to nib in the bud fatalities associated with incompence on their part while out-of-stock syndrome in public hospitals must be fought with a sense of responsibility.
Similarly, government must not politicise the procurement of hospital equipment to check irregular laboratory results in public hospitals.
Above all, the biblical injunction of “Go ye into the world and multiply” may be threatened if conscious efforts are not made to overcome maternal and child morbidity and mortality.
A stich in time saves nine.
Sika is of Radio Rivers, Port Harcourt.

Baridorn Sika