By Desire Uzochukwu
Women physicians have called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s healthcare system, warning that the country loses approximately 75,000 women annually to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, many of which are preventable.
The call was made at the 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Lagos State Branch, where the keynote speaker, Professor Kikelomo Ololade Wright, challenged female doctors to move beyond clinical practice and occupy strategic positions in healthcare policy-making and leadership.
Speaking on the theme, “Women Physicians at the Forefront of Health Equity: Advancing Women, Children and Community Health”, Wright said United Nations figures showed that approximately 75,000 Nigerian women died from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications in 2023, accounting for nearly three in every 10 maternal deaths globally.
“That is one woman every seven minutes,” she said, describing the situation as alarming and unacceptable.
Wright, a Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at the Lagos State University College of Medicine, said women physicians must have a stronger voice in decisions shaping healthcare delivery.
“Not on the sidelines, not behind, not supporting, but we’re at the front,” she declared.
She added: “We deliver most of the care. We must also shape the decisions. It is non-negotiable.”
According to her, Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio of about 993 deaths per 100,000 live births was approximately five times the global average and far above the Sustainable Development Goal target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births.
She expressed concern that maternal deaths remained high even in Lagos, despite the presence of some of the country’s best medical facilities.
Wright identified obstetric haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, sepsis, unsafe abortion-related complications and ruptured uterus as major causes of preventable maternal deaths.
She said the situation exposed weaknesses in primary healthcare services, emergency referrals, blood availability and access to life-saving obstetric care.
She called for functional referral systems connecting primary healthcare centres with secondary and tertiary hospitals.
“Our goal is not just to safely leave you. Our goal is to ensure that everyone who leaves us goes home with her baby or with her babies,” she said.
On child health, Wright said under-five mortality declined only marginally from 132 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 110 in 2024, far above the SDG target of 25.
She also disclosed that Nigeria had an estimated 2.2 million zero-dose children in 2025, the highest number globally, warning that millions of vulnerable children remained unreached by essential immunisation services.
She identified malnutrition, poor access to clean water, household air pollution, adolescent pregnancies and inadequate youth-friendly healthcare as additional challenges.
Wright urged MWAN members to adopt underserved communities, strengthen maternal and child health programmes, support nutrition initiatives, promote health insurance and monitor the impact of their interventions.
She also called for increased healthcare funding, better equipment, more personnel and improved remuneration to address the migration of Nigerian doctors.
Earlier, MWAN Lagos State Branch President, Dr Ime Maria Edwin Okon, said women physicians occupied a strategic position in healthcare delivery because of their professional experience and understanding of the challenges confronting families.
“We are mothers in the land. We understand the health challenges confronting women and children, not only from our professional experiences, but also from our engagement with our families and communities,” she said.
Okon advocated greater use of artificial intelligence, telemedicine and digital health platforms to improve access to healthcare, particularly amid Lagos’ growing population and pressure on medical personnel.
She also urged government to address the migration of doctors by improving hospital infrastructure, equipment and welfare.
“Support the people that are still here, that have not travelled out, by making sure that infrastructure is very okay,” she said.
She further called for expanded health insurance coverage to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, which she identified as a major barrier to accessing timely medical attention.
On professional advancement, she encouraged female doctors to embrace technology, continuous learning and leadership opportunities.
“If they don’t give you a seat on the table, bring your seats. You just have to be there to present,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State First Lady, Dr Claudia Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of Orile-Agege General Hospital, Dr Temitope Bakare, reaffirmed the importance of women’s participation in healthcare leadership.
She called for stronger collaboration among government, medical professionals and communities, stressing that access to quality healthcare should not depend on gender, income, social status or geographical location.
“Behind every maternal health statistic is a woman whose life deserves protection. Behind every preventable childhood illness is a family that it affects,” she said.
She described telemedicine, digital health records, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostics and remote patient monitoring as opportunities to improve healthcare delivery, but cautioned that innovation must be affordable and accessible.
The First Lady reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare infrastructure, expanding health insurance and improving maternal and child health services.
She urged MWAN to sustain advocacy, mentor younger women physicians and provide evidence-based recommendations to guide government policies.
The conference brought together women physicians and other healthcare professionals to discuss strategies for advancing health equity, improving maternal and child health and deploying technology to strengthen healthcare delivery.
