Medical practitioners lament over maternal, infant deaths in Northeast

National president of the association, Dr Frank Odafe, made this known to newsmen ahead of the just concluded 37th annual general meeting of the association held in Akure, Ondo State.
He said despite the modest achievements by Nigeria in scaling down the high mortality and morbidity rate, maternal and infant mortality remains high in the North east, noting that the region is a war zone.
He said, “In a war zone there is abandonment of health care delivery and patronage by the populace. So, in the north eastern part of Nigeria, the indices are still abysmally poor. In war zone, everything is in anarchy.”
 Odafe, however, expressed optimism that the situation would soon improve with the current onslaught against the Boko Haram sect by the Nigerian military in the region.
He disclosed that maternal mortality in the north east was still 200 per 1000 births. “But we are praying that now that the insurgents are being driven away, people are gradually taking over their homelands and settling down, they will now patronise health facilities in their areas.”
He noted that there has to be peace before people will begin to think of seeking health care services and that with the recapturing of the towns by the Nigerian troops, healthcare givers would be able to go back to the area.