CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND PREVENTION OF MATERNAL AND CHILD MORTALITY IN OBUDU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF CROSS RIVER STATE: IMPLICATION FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

Abstract

The rate of maternal and child mortality has continued to rise despite the efforts of the government and the concerned stakeholders to make the menace alien in society. Many women, especially pregnant women and children continue to die of preventable deaths because of complications relating to pregnancy and the inability to access adequate healthcare when needed. This study is an attempt to find out the causes, implications, and prevention of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria, and Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State in particular. The study adopted multistage sampling methods to select communities, wards, and individual participants for the study. One hundred and ninety participants were selected for the study, using questionnaire instrument as means of data collection. The generated data were analysed electronically using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings revealed that distance to health facilities, illiteracy, and lack of funds to access the needed healthcare services are some of the causes of maternal and child mortality. The study equally found that a high death rate, increased number of orphans and vulnerable children, and loss of manpower constitute some of the negative implications of the menace. The study recommended that the government should among other things construct more health facilities, train and retrain health staff, and involve social workers in awareness creation on how to reduce the menace of maternal and child mortality and caregiving to those affected by the menace.