Iao. Ujah et al., How safe is motherhood in Nigeria?: The trend of maternal mortality in a tertiary health institution, E AFR MED J, 76(8), 1999, pp. 436-439
Objective: To determine tbe magnitude and trend of maternal mortality in Jo
s University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
Design: Retrospective study.
Setting:Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
Subject: All women dying in pregnancy, labour and puerperium.
Main outcome measures: Maternal mortality ratio, trend of maternal mortalit
y, age, antenatal booking status, educational status, main causes of matern
al death, factors contributing to maternal deaths.
Results: The maternal mortality ratio was 739/100,000 total deliveries and
trend rose from 450/100,000 in 1990 to 1,060/100,000 total deliveries in 19
94. About 33% of all maternal deaths occurred among teenagers. The risk fac
tors for maternal deaths included adolescence, grand multiparity, illiterac
y and non-utilisation of antenatal services. The main causes of maternal mo
rtality were haemorrhage (28.1%), sepsis (21.3%) and eclampsia (15.7%). The
contributions of complicated induced abortion and anaesthetic deaths in th
is study are worthy of mention.
Conclusion: The maternal mortality ratio is unacceptably high in Jos Univer
sity Teaching Hospital more particularly because of the rising trend. Socio
-cultural and economic factors contributed immensely to the high maternal m
ortality in Jos. The objective of the World Health Organisation(WTO) to red
uce maternal mortality by 50% by the year 2000 will not be achieved in this
part of Nigeria. Nonetheless, improvement of the nation's economy coupled
with a stable policy and provision of intrastructural Facilities will assis
t to significantly reduce maternal mortality.