A lecturer at the Department of Social Work, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Dr Blessing Ramsey-Soroghaye, has called for greater investment in health promotion and disease prevention programmes to tackle Nigeria’s persistently high rates of maternal deaths and other preventable health conditions among women.
Speaking in an interview, the women’s health and well-being researcher lamented that many Nigerian women continue to die from avoidable causes, largely due to poor access to quality healthcare and inadequate preventive interventions.
Dr Ramsey-Soroghaye highlighted that despite years of dialogue on improving maternal health, accessibility and affordability remain key obstacles preventing many women from utilising available healthcare services.
“For many Nigerians, especially women, the first response to illness is not to visit a hospital or primary health centre. Instead, some resort to self-medication, seek unprofessional advice from relatives, rely on religious options, or consult patent medicine vendors,” she said.
According to her, this pattern reflects deeper policy and systemic failures that expose women to heightened risks, particularly in cases of pregnancy-related complications, late detection of cancers, unmanaged hypertension, and neglected mental health conditions.
She noted that women, being the primary caregivers and bearing the reproductive burden, suffer disproportionately from the absence of a preventive healthcare model in Nigeria.
“Preventable complications from pregnancy, late detection of cancers, untreated hypertension, and ignored mental health issues continue to cut short lives and weaken families,” she added.
Dr Ramsey-Soroghaye advocated for a paradigm shift from a reactive health model—where interventions begin only after illness sets in—to a preventive and promotive model that focuses on early detection and education.
She urged the government to make health promotion a deliberate policy priority through stronger investments and community-driven programmes.
“Primary Healthcare Centres should be strengthened, services made accessible, and regular health outreaches and enlightenment campaigns carried out to educate women about available health promotion services,” she said.
The social work expert further recommended the integration of preventive services into existing maternal and child health programmes, ensuring women receive timely education and screening when they engage with the health system.
“When prevention is prioritised, the cost of care decreases, survival rates improve, and families become healthier. It also reduces the economic burden of disease, freeing up resources for national development,” she explained.
According to data from PUNCH Healthwise, Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate stands at 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of global maternal deaths.
Dr Ramsey-Soroghaye stressed that Nigeria could significantly reduce this figure if policymakers prioritised preventive measures and increased funding for community-based health promotion.
“Nigeria cannot afford to keep losing women to conditions that could have been prevented or managed early,” she warned. “Policymakers must act decisively—by funding outreach programmes, equipping primary health centres, and making preventive care accessible in every community.”
She concluded by urging collective commitment to prevention-focused health policies, saying:
“By leading this change, we protect women’s health and secure the well-being of households, communities, and the nation. Prevention must become our first point of action to save lives.”
