Sen. Ireti Kingibe in a cross-session photograph with the stakeholders at the event.
By Abdulrahman Aliagan,
The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, has called for the introduction of free emergency obstetric care, including Cesarean Sections (C-Sections), across federal health institutions as part of urgent measures to reduce Nigeria’s alarming maternal mortality rate.
Speaking at the Adinya Arise Foundation Maternal Health Policy Dialogue in Abuja, themed “Rights, Justice and Action-Free Emergency C-Section to Save Lives as a Human Right in Nigeria,” Kingibe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, said maternal healthcare must be treated as a fundamental human right rather than a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.
Addressing stakeholders, health professionals, and advocates, the lawmaker described Nigeria’s maternal mortality statistics as deeply troubling, noting that the country contributes nearly 28.5 percent of global maternal deaths.
According to her, the current maternal mortality ratio—estimated at about 576 deaths per 100,000 live births—represents not just numbers but the loss of mothers, sisters, daughters, and community pillars whose deaths devastate families and communities.
“We cannot speak about maternal health without confronting the numbers that haunt our healthcare system,” Kingibe said. “Each statistic represents a life lost, a family broken, and a community diminished.”
She explained that many maternal deaths in Nigeria are linked to what health experts describe as the “Three Delays”—delay in seeking care, delay in reaching a medical facility, and delay in receiving treatment, particularly due to inability to pay for emergency services.
Kingibe noted that when complications arise during childbirth, a Cesarean Section is often the only life-saving option, yet the procedure remains financially out of reach for many Nigerian families.
She said the average cost of an emergency C-Section—between ₦60,000 and ₦100,000—poses a significant barrier in a country where more than 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
“In reality, we are asking the poor to choose between their life savings and their lives,” she said.
The senator revealed that the National Assembly is exploring policy and legislative pathways to transition from merely ‘affordable care’ to guaranteed free emergency obstetric care for women in need.
She disclosed that the Senate Committee on Women Affairs is already scrutinizing the 2026 national budget to ensure that social welfare units in public hospitals are properly funded to provide immediate financial coverage for indigent women requiring emergency procedures.
Kingibe also urged healthcare providers to prioritize compassion in service delivery, stressing that no woman should be denied treatment or detained in hospital because she cannot pay surgical bills.
Outlining what she described as Nigeria’s pathway to safer motherhood, the lawmaker highlighted three key priorities: expanding universal health insurance coverage for pregnant women, improving rural healthcare infrastructure, and establishing a dedicated Maternal Health Trust Fund to guarantee sustainable financing.
She also pledged to sponsor legislation that would mandate free emergency C-Sections in all federal tertiary health institutions, describing it as a necessary baseline for protecting maternal lives.
“I did not come to the Senate to occupy a seat; I came to be a shield for the women of the FCT and Nigeria,” she said.
Kingibe further pledged to deploy her oversight powers to ensure that funds allocated for maternal health directly benefit hospitals and labour wards where they are most needed, while continuing to collaborate with civil society organisations such as the Adinya Arise Foundation to strengthen evidence-based advocacy.
She concluded by calling on policymakers, health professionals, and development partners to unite around a common goal—ensuring that childbirth in Nigeria does not become a death sentence.
“Let us commit to a Nigeria where the cry of a newborn is followed by the smile of a mother, not the mourning of a family,” she said. “Let us champion the dignity, safety, and lives of Nigerian women.”
