The commissioner for health in Zamfara, Dr Aisha Anka, says no fewer than 950,000 women in the state are at high risk of maternal deaths.

Ms Anka said this in Gusau on Monday at the opening ceremony of a five-day workshop on preventable maternal deaths for health workers in the state.

The training is being organised by a non governmental organisation (NGO), Health for Life and Development Foundation in collaboration with the state ministry of health and hospital services management board.

The training is being supported by the United Nations Population Fund.

The commissioner, who was represented by the executive secretary, State Hospital Services Management Board, Mustafa Marafa, described the training as very key.

According to the commissioner, statistics credit Nigeria as having recorded 14 per cent of the total maternal death globally.

She noted that the northern Nigeria, including Zamfara, had a record of 70 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria.

Ms Anka  explained that the 50 nurses and midwives attending the training were selected from different health facilities across the state.

“The workshop signifies government’s commitment to improve maternal health in the state.

“This training is aimed at ensuring safe delivery of babies across all health facilities in the state.

“The participants were carefully selected, they are nurses and midwives incharge of labour rooms in the health facilities across the state”, she said.

“As we are all aware, that Gov. Dauda Lawal declared a state of  emergency on health sector and  the state government embarked on total renovation of health facilities across the state.

“This training is part of the government’s commitment to promote capacity, manpower and skills of our health workers across the state”, she explained.

Earlier, the executive director Health for Life and Development Foundation, Dr Abubakar Danladi, said the training was organised based on the realization  of  an increase  in maternal mortality in the state.

“This training is to ensure that our health workers are well equipped to handle health cases related to maternal deaths.

“This is for capacity building of our nurses and midwives on management of direct and indirect causes of preventable maternal deaths.

“Part of the mandate of this training is for participants to cascade the skills they will  acquire  to their respective health facilities”, he explained.

(NAN)