Scaling up Nigeria’s Midwives Service Scheme and Reducing Inequality Gaps in Maternal Mortality ()
ABSTRACT
The Federal Government of
Nigeria in December 2009 launched midwives service scheme to address the shortage of skilled healthcare workforce
needed to drive the efforts at improving maternal and infant health, towards
the attainment of MDGS 4 and 5. This was in response to the unrelenting
increase in maternal mortality in Nigeria. This review explores the
implementation of the scheme and the extent to which its set-goals are achieved
vis-à-vis many challenges confronting it. The review first explores the
ecologic perspective on maternal mortality
to identify factors responsible for high mortality among Nigerian women
and the inequality gaps in maternal mortality. The review identifies the need to scale up midwives service
scheme to areas in dire health needs, identifies the need for health
needs assessment, and recognizes community participation as an essential
ingredient in ensuring the sustainability of midwives
service scheme. Routine evaluation of midwives service scheme is identified as an important tool for assessing the
effectiveness of the scheme in achieving its objectives towards improvement in
maternal health and reduction in inequality gaps in maternal mortality. The
review proposes multi-sectoral interventions in tackling inequality gaps in maternal mortality with strategic focus on
addressing inequalities in health and social determinants of health.
Share and Cite:
Onugha, E. (2017) Scaling up Nigeria’s Midwives Service Scheme and Reducing Inequality Gaps in Maternal Mortality.
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
7, 880-896. doi:
10.4236/ojog.2017.78089.