Nigeria's Maternal Mortality Rate Remains Unacceptably High – NSSF Warns. Nigeria latest news Today

Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF)

The Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) gave a somber warning that Nigeria's maternal mortality emergency would only escalate unless there is an urgent overhaul of the health sector and additional investment in women's healthcare access to health insurance, particularly amongst vulnerable and rural communities.

Addressing at the 7th edition of the NSSF Fireside Chat Series in Abuja on Wednesday, the Fund's Managing Director and CEO, Dr. Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko, underscored the egregious fact of Nigerian women. "Nigeria's maternal mortality is still far too high at over 1,000 deaths for every 100,000 live births. That has to end," she reaffirmed.

Chinye-Nwoko noted that most of the maternal deaths in Nigeria occur due to preventable complications and identified making healthcare accessible and affordable. "We are here to ask the hard questions: how do we ensure that when a woman needs treatment, she can access it without money in her pocket and without waiting? That's what health insurance should be able to achieve, and it must be accessible and inclusive."

In a statement issued on Thursday by Esther Anolu, NSSF's Head of Marketing and Communications, Chinye-Nwoko emphasized that while Nigeria has the data, tools, and partnerships to address the crisis, actual progress has been halted by inaction and political willlessness.

"We know in our work in the field that women are not just uninformed — they're unregistered, unempowered, and underserved. Low knowledge. Challenging access. But we possess the tools, the knowledge, and the partnerships to fix it," she continued. "What we need now is implementation of policy and fiscal commitment in proportion to the gravity of this crisis."

A Call to Action at the Fireside Chat

Titled "Breaking Barriers to Maternal Health Equity: The Role of Health Insurance in Promoting Women's Wellness," the Fireside Chat gathered stakeholders such as government institutions, development partners, donors, and health providers. Among the major questions posed—such as "Who pays for the health of the poor?"—stimulated an interesting discussion regarding sustainable financing for the poorest women in Nigeria.

Senior Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation officer Dr. Mojisola Odeku called for greater coordination between the government and donors to increase access to maternal health care. She emphasized that donor financing should complement, not replace, state funding to ensure sustainable outcomes.

Professor Chima Onoka, addressing on behalf of the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), stated that efforts are underway to digitize insurance registration processes and remove systemic barriers to registration. He stated that new strategies are being experimented with to offer broader coverage, particularly to women in remote locations.

Dr. Binyerem Ukaire, Director and Head of Family Health Department at the Federal Ministry of Health, embraced the government's current maternal health programs—such as free emergency cesarean sections and Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) repair in over 20 states—but admitted that budget constraints continue to cloud their efficacies.

Prevention and Policy: The Way Forward

Experts at the meeting were agreed that prevention should be forefront. Spending on preventive care—health check-ups, availability of contraception, and mental health services—was viewed as an inexpensive means of slowing maternal mortality and relieving some of the strain on Nigeria's stretched healthcare system.

NSSF also contributed lessons from its community-level interventions, including field operations in Ekiti State and the WeNaija Impact Cohort. These revealed deep-seated issues like disinformation, unaffordable care, and deep-rooted health system mistrust.

To turn talk into policy change, NSSF stated that it would release policy briefs with concrete recommendations. These will be distributed to policymakers, health institutions, and civil society to spur actual reform.

A Critical Moment

Nigeria stands at a crossroads in seeking to achieve maternal health equity. The NSSF Fireside Chat message was clear: the tools exist, the knowledge exists, and the alliances exist. What does not exist is the will—and the resources—to move decisively.

Unless there are immediate steps to expand access to health insurance and put money into prevention, Nigeria's maternal mortality crisis will persist, slaying women who might otherwise be spared by the very health care systems intended to heal them.