ABUJA – Nigeria’s persistently high maternal mortality rate is both a national emergency and a preventable tragedy, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary for Health Services and Environment in the Federal Capital Territory, declared on Tuesday, calling for an urgent shift to evidence-based policymaking and sustainable workforce reforms.
Speaking at the 2025 Task Shifting Symposium in Abuja, Dr. Fasawe delivered a stark assessment of the country’s healthcare system, emphasizing that most maternal deaths occur at the primary care level due to a critical shortage of skilled workers, essential equipment, and basic supplies.
“Nigeria still carries one of the highest maternal mortality burdens in the world, according to WHO. It is heartbreaking because these deaths are preventable,” Dr. Fasawe told attendees. “Women arrive at facilities and there is no skilled provider, no blood, no equipment, and sometimes no one who knows what to do. By the time they reach general hospitals, it is often too late.”
The symposium, themed “Bridging Research, Policy, and Practice for Better Maternal Healthcare in Nigeria,” highlighted findings from a landmark study conducted by Dr. Francis Ayomah of the University of Oxford, which examined task-shifting realities within Nigeria’s primary health system.
Dr. Fasawe stressed that research must replace assumptions in health policy design. “Research has been missing in our quest to improve the health system. Research is policy-making. We can only make informed decisions based on verifiable data—what works and what doesn’t—not on imagination,” she stated.
She attributed systemic failures to a dire human resource gap worsened by the “Japa syndrome,” inadequate recruitment, and reliance on unpaid volunteers. “Some of our skilled workers are volunteering without pay. Some support staff in PHCs are not trained at all. Yet primary healthcare is the first point of contact for most Nigerians,” she noted.
While acknowledging task shifting as an unavoidable strategy given workforce shortages, Dr. Fasawe insisted it must be implemented responsibly. “Task shifting cannot be stopped because of the human resource shortage. But it must have clear boundaries, supervision, and training,” she affirmed.
Dr. Ayomah, the study’s lead researcher, echoed these concerns, noting that “Nigeria continues to lead global charts in maternal deaths, and it is terrifying.” He urged increased political will, funding, and the formal employment of currently unpaid community health workers to strengthen primary care delivery.
The symposium concluded with a consensus: with strategic task shifting, empowered health workers, and committed leadership, Nigeria can reverse its maternal health crisis.
