The trend in maternal mortality in an upgraded tertiary facility in North Central Nigeria

The Millennium Development Goal 5(MDG-5) aims at reducing Maternal Mortality Ratio MMR) by 75% by the year 2015 as compared with the 1990 estimates. There is paucity of recent information on the pattern of maternal mortality in the north central Nigeria.

This study aims to document the trend and causes of maternal deaths at the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC), Lokoja and to suggest ways of improving safe motherhood services at the centre and in Nigeria.

This is a review of case records of 44 aternal deaths that occurred between 1st January 2005 and 31 December 2009 at FMC, Lokoja, north central Nigeria.

Forty four maternal deaths occurred and 9496 live births were recorded, giving a Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 463 per 100,000 live births. The annual MMR decreased from 779/100,000 live births in 2005 to 392/100,000 live births in 2009. The unbooked patients constituted about 68.2% of maternal deaths and about half (56.9%) of women that died were within the age range of 25-29 years. Hypertensive disorders (31.8%), abortion complications (18.2%), obstructed labour/uterine rupture (9.1%) and hemorrhage (9.1%)were the leading causes of death.

We observed a decreasing trend in annual maternal mortality at the hospital but more commitment is needed to achieve the MDG-5.