The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Wednesday said Nigeria would be saving 1.5 billion dollars annually by investing in maternal health.
The Deputy Representative of UNFPA, Dr. Eugene Kongnyuy, made the disclosure in Lagos at the Unveiling of the Regional Ambassador for Maternal Health in West and Central Africa Region organised by the fund.
Newsmen report that renowned Nollywood Actress, Stephaine Linus-Okereke, was unveiled as the Regional Ambassador for Maternal Health in West and Central Africa Region by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole.
Dr. Kongnyuy said: “In Nigeria, the country will be saving 1.5 billion dollars yearly by investing in maternal health. Investing in maternal health is a smart investment; if you put one dollar in maternal health, it will yield $120.
“So, it is where the government should put its money, because it is yielding high returns. Globally, if you think of maternal health and translate it, the number of women dying, because when a woman dies, the baby is also likely to die. When you sum up all that globally, it leads to productivity loss of 15 billion dollars every year of these women dying.
The representative said that the costs of not taking action now on maternal health would mean that poverty eradication efforts would be undermined.
According to him, economic growth will slow down, inequalities sustained and countries will miss out on a vast source of human capital needed to take sustainable development forward in the 21st century.
Dr. Kongnyuy said that more than 55 per cent of pregnant women still gave birth without any assistance from a skilled health worker.
He said that only 12 per cent of pregnant women who needed emergency obstetric care services received them.
