Improving Maternal Care Through Health Insurance
Nursing and pregnant women waiting to receive care at Agbongbon Primary Health Centre, Ibadan Oyo State, recently. Efforts to reduce out-of-pocket payments for healthcare, a huge burden on households and individuals remain a mirage in view of the poverty level of Nigerians which is put at 70 per cent. However, health insurance provides financial protection for pregnant women, spreading risks and pooling funds which would make maternal healthcare affordable and accessible, writes CHIOMA UMEHA. Every day, Nigeria loses about 145 women of childbearing age, making her the second largest contributor to the maternal mortality rate in the world, according to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). When this statistic was released in 2017, it generated different responses from different people even as many disputed the figure. Though pregnancy and child birth supposed to be safe and normal, so many women and their new born die due to pregnancy and child birth rela