Abstract
This chapter addresses the feasibility of Nigeria achieving Target 3.1 of Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims at reducing maternal deaths to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. Maternal deaths occur due to lack of access to maternal healthcare, which encompasses the healthcare dimensions of family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care for women. Nigeria is presently the second largest contributor to maternal deaths globally, having a maternal mortality ratio of 814 per 100,000 live births. Will Nigeria achieve this goal by 2030? This chapter assesses the maternal health landscape of Nigeria and the measures taken by the government to address maternal health from the perspective of the feasibility of achieving SDG 3, Target 3.1 by 2030.
TopBackground
Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. It encompasses the health care dimensions of family planning, preconception, prenatal and postnatal care, which aims at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality (World Health Organization (WHO), 2012a).
Key Terms in this Chapter
World Health Organization: The international body that provides regulatory guide for healthcare practices globally.
Death: The end of the existence of an individual in the world.
Mortality: The ratio of deaths per certain number of population.
Family Planning: The act of preventing unwanted pregnancies.
Pregnancy: The act of conception of a new life in the womb by a woman.
Childbirth: The act of bringing to the world a new life (person).
Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria: The institutional framework that regulates healthcare in Nigeria.
Child: A person who is under five years.
Postpartum: The period immediately after childbirth and health issues that occur during this period.
Postnatal: Healthcare given to a woman immediately after childbirth and within 40 days of delivery.
Antenatal: Healthcare given to a pregnant woman before childbirth.