Idle Hospital Fails Pregnant Women in Akwa Ibom

Blessing Okon's midnight labor pains in Akwa Ibom State became a desperate search for medical help, a search that led her past the gleaming, yet locked, gates of the new Mother and Child Hospital in Oko-Ita. This modern, 100-bed facility, built to serve women like her, was less than a kilometer from her home but remained inaccessible.

Forced to travel to a primary healthcare center, Okon and her husband found no staff on duty. After waiting nearly an hour as her condition worsened, they returned home. A traditional birth attendant managed the delivery, but Okon suffered severe complications, including heavy bleeding that left her debilitated for months. "If not for the intervention of the TBA, I would have died," she recounted, highlighting the stark irony of the nearby, yet non-operational, hospital.

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The TBA tried her best. At the time, I had already become weak and lost a lot of blood. If not for the intervention of the TBA, I would have died.

The Renewed Hope Mother and Child Hospital, despite its paved access road, streetlights, and air-conditioning, sits empty. Its wards are silent, its corridors devoid of patients and staff. This situation unfolds against a grim backdrop: Nigeria grapples with some of the world's highest maternal and child mortality rates. Factors like delayed access to skilled care and weak health infrastructure contribute to tens of thousands of preventable deaths annually.

Akwa Ibom State's health statistics are particularly concerning. According to the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, only 38.6 percent of live births occur in a health facility, the lowest in southern Nigeria. Furthermore, the state has one of the lowest percentages of births attended by skilled providers (51.5 percent), ranking lowest among southern states except for Niger. The state's maternal mortality rate stands at a staggering 774 per 100,000 live births, underscoring the critical need for accessible and functional healthcare facilities.

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We live close to the facility; it is even within walking distance. But I couldn’t go there because it was locked.