No fewer than 145 pregnant women die every day in Nigeria, according to White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria who quoted a study conducted by National Development Health Survey (NDHS).

The group said that they have also found out the reason for the high death rate is due to a glaring shortage of midwives in most states.

Focal persons of WRA, Tariah Adams and Christy Asala led a one-day training for media/citizen journalists in Calabar, capital of Cross River State, on how to draw attention to the plight of pregnant women and the dire need for midwives.

Adams called on the government to prioritise reproductive health, adding that the plights of pregnant women are totally preventable.

“All over the country, the difficulties encountered by pregnant women occasioned by a dire shortage of midwives have been unspeakable. We have visited several states in the country in the course of this advocacy for midwives and discovered that there’s a yawning gap.

“We met with health officials of Cross River State government and was also shocked to learn that midwives are in short supply thereby encouraging pregnant women to patronise medically untrained traditional birth attendants.

“There should be more openings for the training of student midwives. We are strongly advocating for the employment of more trained midwives in government health facilities to stem the increase in deaths of pregnant women”, Adams stressed.

She called on the state government to lift the embargo on the employment of health personnel especially midwives in order to reduce the rising deaths of pregnant women.

Asala also disclosed that they would be conducting a two-month programme in the state which will end in November 2021 during which time they launch the What Midwives Want Campaign.

She added that in order to track the stories of pregnant women, WRA will engage volunteers in all the 18 LGAs of the state to record their data and those of midwives.