Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof. Rosemary Ogu, has described every maternal death as a human catastrophe, stressing that preventing women from dying during pregnancy and childbirth requires collective action by government, healthcare providers, communities, universities and families.
Ogu, a Professor of Reproductive Health and the university’s 216th inaugural lecturer, made the call while delivering the institution’s inaugural lecture titled, ‘Sweet Mother: From Peril to Power’, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
She lamented that the death of a woman during pregnancy or within six weeks after childbirth goes beyond a medical failure, saying it leaves children motherless, destabilises families and weakens national development.
According to her, “Every maternal death is not merely a medical failure, but a human catastrophe; a life extinguished in the act of giving life, a child left motherless, a family destabilised and a nation quietly impoverished.”
The reproductive health expert said the phrase, ‘Sweet Mother’ is more than a nostalgic refrain, describing it as a declaration of the worth, dignity and power of mothers, while urging policymakers and stakeholders to prioritise maternal health.
She maintained that maternal health remains a reflection of society’s values, noting that safeguarding women during pregnancy and childbirth would foster stronger, healthier and more equitable societies.
Ogu further argued that investing in the health of women is not only a moral obligation but also a strategic investment in national development, pointing out that women play critical roles as caregivers, educators, entrepreneurs, farmers and informal healthcare providers.
She warned that countries that fail to invest in the education and well-being of girls would lose the benefits of a healthy and productive female population.
Explaining the focus of her lecture, Ogu said it centred on research findings on the causes of maternal mortality and practical measures to prevent avoidable deaths during childbirth.
“The lecture focused on women surviving childbirth. I discussed what research has shown us about why women die during childbirth, how these deaths can be prevented and what must be done. It is not something one person can do; everybody has a role to play,” she said.
Describing maternal health as a human, justice and development issue rather than a women’s issue, Ogu stressed that many maternal deaths remain preventable with improved healthcare systems and coordinated interventions.
She called on governments to expand access to quality emergency obstetric care, urging communities to encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics while appealing to men to become actively involved in supporting their wives during pregnancy.
According to her, evidence has shown that the absence of male involvement contributes significantly to maternal deaths.
The professor also charged universities to strengthen their maternal and child health institutes through training, retraining and certificate programmes to produce more skilled healthcare professionals capable of improving maternal outcomes across the country.
She expressed concern over conditions in many labour wards, revealing that most maternal deaths occur because of shortages of blood, essential drugs and other life-saving commodities.
Ogu therefore called for all labour wards to be adequately equipped with blood banks, pharmacies and emergency supplies to enable prompt treatment of pregnant women facing complications during delivery.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended Ogu for using decades of clinical practice, research, advocacy and community engagement to expose the realities of maternal mortality in Nigeria.
Georgewill said the inaugural lecture demonstrated that maternal deaths are not merely medical occurrences but consequences of structural inequalities, weak health systems, poverty, inadequate infrastructure and persistent gender disparities.
He noted that Ogu’s scholarship had broadened public understanding of maternal health beyond medicine to issues of social justice and national development.
The vice chancellor also lauded her contributions to mentoring medical professionals and translating research findings into practical interventions that have impacted lives.
He assured that the university would forward the recommendations contained in the lecture to relevant stakeholders, including the federal government, healthcare institutions, professional bodies and development partners for implementation.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme, Dr. Betty Agala, said the agency participated in the event to sensitise the public on the importance of health financing in reducing maternal mortality.
Agala observed that poverty and delays in accessing quality healthcare remain major factors responsible for maternal deaths, stressing that sustainable financing is critical to improving maternal health outcomes in the country.
