Over the past few months, there have been various reports in the media about a dramatic fall in maternal mortality rates in Nigeria. This has been carried by a few newspapers and blogs quoting various government officials...
Premium Times: The Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said that the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria dropped from 704 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 487 per 100,000 live births in 2011. Daily Time: Maternal Mortality Rate Drops by 30%, Says President The Eagle online: Maternal mortality in Nigeria has reduced by 50 per cent, says expertHealthNewsNG.com: Maternal mortality rate has reduced to 224 deaths per 100,000
I have to written everyone in the sector that we have access to, in order for us to share the original data or publications that showed this dramatic decline, so far unsuccessfully. If you have access to this data, or you know who does please do share. If true, this is obviously great news for Nigeria and will show that Mr President's "Transformation Agenda" is having its desired effect. We will keep an open mind and appeal to you, our readers to share these results with us should you find them. It is important to realise that dramatic falls in maternal and child mortality never happen in a vacuum. They are often as a result of significant changes in the socioeconomic well-being of a population and specific public health interventions. The reports above all quote government officials - right up to the President. No source is given for the data. The statements do not appear to be questioned by the journalists reporting them. The only questioning voice that we have found is in Dr Aminu Magashs's column in the Daily Trust where he asserts that;
"...the 2012 MDG Survey was done surreptitiously" ..."The way and manner the findings were shared in the meeting revealed that it was a survey conducted in a clandestine manner without credibility and scientific relevance"We will not draw any conclusions just yet as we wait to see the ...
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