A shocking incident has emerged in Katsina State, where a man reportedly divorced his 14-year old housewife for allowing a male medical practitioner to attend to her during childbirth. The teenage mother had a complicated childbirth, and in the absence of a female medical practitioner at the hospital, a male doctor assisted her during labor, leading to the breakdown of her marriage.
Although the delivery was successful, the husband’s joy was short-lived when he discovered that a male medical practitioner had attended to his wife. Frustrated by the situation, he proceeded to divorce her.
Dr. Fatima Adamu, the Executive Director of Nana Women and Girls Empowerment Initiative, shared this distressing incident while speaking at the Human Resources for Health Production Dialogue in Abuja. She used the example to highlight the need for equitable deployment of medical personnel to rural communities.
The event aimed to address the country’s healthcare system and emphasized the importance of accountability and prudence in healthcare training institutions.
Dr. Adamu emphasized the shortage of health workers in Nigeria and the urgent need to produce more medical professionals to meet the growing demand. She revealed that the country’s annual production of nurses and midwives falls short of the population growth rate, leading to a significant gap.
The event also recognized the pivotal role of students and tutors in the healthcare system and urged them to foster a culture of supportive and collaborative learning.
The Country Director of USAID Health Workforce Management, Dr. Andy Omoluabi, stressed the critical role of human resources for health in strengthening the healthcare system, particularly at the primary health care level. Nigeria faces various challenges in producing enough skilled personnel, especially in primary health care, including shortages of qualified tutors and trainers and inadequate learning environments.
One of the most pressing concerns raised during the event was the alarming burden of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria. The country shoulders over 34% of the global burden of maternal deaths and has become the highest contributor to deaths among children under five years worldwide.
