To help reduce the number of women dying during childbirth in Nigeria, a digital health project called *Birth Safe Nigeria* will train 1,000 nurses and midwives in five states. The training will teach them how to handle emergencies during childbirth and save lives.
The nurses and midwives will be selected from Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Oyo, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They will be trained through *Birth Safe Nigeria’s* program called “Train One to Reach Many” (TORM).
Dr. Idara Umoette, who started the initiative, said the goal is to give frontline health workers the skills they need to quickly recognize and handle childbirth emergencies. This could help protect the lives of more than 250,000 pregnant women and their babies.
The World Bank has reported that rising poverty in Nigeria has led to more women giving birth at home without medical help. This has caused a rise in the number of women and babies who get sick or die during childbirth.
According to a 2018 national health survey, Nigeria has a very high maternal death rate—512 women die for every 100,000 live births.
Dr. Umoette explained that the upcoming training is meant to help nurses and midwives act fast during childbirth emergencies, so fewer mothers and babies die or suffer serious complications.
She told journalists at a press conference in Lagos that the training is focused on improving how quickly and effectively nurses and midwives respond when there is a problem during childbirth.
“Our aim,” she said, “is to create a strong first line of care by training 1,000 nurses and midwives across five states. We want them to work together and respond quickly—within the first five minutes and first hour of an emergency. This can greatly improve outcomes for pregnant women and their babies.”
Dr. Umoette said one of the biggest problems is that emergency care during childbirth is often too slow or lacking. The training will help fill that gap.
She added, “Nurses and midwives are often the first people pregnant women go to during emergencies. So, it’s important they have the right skills to give fast and effective care that can save lives.”
The training will begin in Lagos, where 200 nurses and midwives will be trained first. Other states will follow. Lagos was chosen to start because it already has good systems in place to support this kind of training.
“Lagos is open to innovation and supports efforts that improve lives,” she said. “We want to hear fewer stories of women dying in labour or babies being born with disabilities. We want to save more families from unnecessary loss.”
She explained that while antenatal care (checkups during pregnancy) is important, many women still die because help during emergencies comes too late or is not good enough.
She said, “We asked ourselves—besides preparing early, what else can we do to make emergency care stronger for pregnant women?”
They found that nurses are usually the first to respond to emergencies in both hospitals and communities. If those nurses have proper training and information, they can save many more lives.
The training will start in Lagos on July 2nd and 3rd. After that, it will expand to the other four states.
At the same event, Mercy Agbagwa, founder of Jidem Breast Pump, said that maternal deaths are a national emergency and need immediate action.
She said breast pumps can help reduce bleeding after childbirth, which is a major cause of death for new mothers.
“Maternal death is a big issue in Nigeria,” she said. “We care about the health of women and children. Nurses are often the first to see women in distress. If they are trained to act quickly, many lives can be saved.”
“Using breast pumps can help the uterus contract after childbirth, which reduces the chance of heavy bleeding. These tools are important in preventing maternal deaths,” she added.
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Ifeoma Orifa, CEO of Accentcare Nigeria, said, “This training is very important and timely. Teaching people what to do and helping women know how to care for themselves is key to saving lives.”
