Maternal mortality in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Maternal mortality is an index of the standard of antenatal care in a given environment. In developed countries the level of antenatal care has risen to an extent that maternal mortality has virtually disappeared (Nylander and Adekunle, 1990). This is in sharp contrast with the situation in developing countries like Nigeria where maternal mortality is still deplorably high. According to the World Health Organization, only 29-36% of deliveries in Africa are attended to by trained health personnel (World Health Organization, 1985). Therefore the mortality rates reported from most developing countries may be just the tip of the iceberg. Another disturbing dimension to the problem of maternal deaths in developing countries is the fact that most of the deaths are due to causes that can be prevented by the provision of essential obstetric care. Nearly a decade after the launching of the international safe motherhood initiative the tragedy of maternal deaths remains unmitigated in most developing countries such as Nigeria. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the causes of maternal deaths in two tertiary level hospitals in Maiduguri, north-eastern Nigeria and to identify ways of reversing the trend.