Why Many Pregnant Women in Nigeria Avoid Hospitals – Is It Safe?
Despite advancements in healthcare, many pregnant women in Nigeria still choose traditional birth attendants (TBAs) over hospitals for antenatal care and childbirth. This trend is more common in rural areas, but even some urban women still avoid hospitals for several cultural, financial, and emotional reasons. But the big question is: Is it safe?
This article explores the reasons behind this choice, the risks involved, and what families and health authorities need to consider in ensuring safer pregnancies and childbirths.
Why Many Women Avoid Hospitals
1. Cost of Hospital Services
One of the most common reasons women avoid hospitals is the cost of care. Public hospitals may offer subsidized care, but additional costs like drugs, scans, delivery fees, and unexpected surgeries make many low-income families see hospitals as too expensive.
In contrast, TBAs often charge less and may allow payment in installments or accept farm produce and other goods.
2. Cultural and Religious Beliefs
In many Nigerian communities, childbirth is seen not just as a medical event but as a spiritual process. Traditional birth attendants are often seen as people who understand the cultural rituals and practices surrounding childbirth. Some women are told by family elders or religious leaders to avoid hospitals, believing they bring unnecessary complications or that hospital births are not “natural.”
3. Negative Experiences with Hospital Staff
Unfortunately, many women have shared stories of being mistreated or ignored during labor in hospitals. Some complain about:
- Rude nurses
- Delayed attention
- Insensitive comments
- Unnecessary medical interventions
These experiences discourage them from returning to health centers, especially when TBAs treat them with respect and personal care.
4. Distance and Transportation
In rural areas, hospitals can be very far away, and transportation is not always available. For many women, getting to a hospital during labor is nearly impossible. TBAs live nearby and are often accessible even in the middle of the night.
Who Are Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)?
TBAs are usually elderly women who have been trained informally, mostly through experience. They often rely on herbs, massage, prayers, and traditional knowledge passed down over generations.
While some TBAs have genuine experience, most lack the formal medical training to handle complications such as:
- High blood pressure
- Breech presentation
- Prolonged labor
- Postpartum hemorrhage
- Infection prevention
These are situations where delay or wrong handling can lead to maternal or infant death.
Risks of Avoiding Hospitals
Avoiding hospitals can seem convenient and affordable, but it comes with serious risks. According to health statistics, Nigeria accounts for one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Many of these deaths are preventable with proper hospital care.
Here are some risks:
- Delayed emergency response: TBAs don’t have ambulances or quick access to cesarean sections.
- Lack of clean tools: Infections are more common in home deliveries.
- Wrong diagnosis: Complications like eclampsia or obstructed labor may be missed or misunderstood.
- No neonatal care: If a baby is born with breathing problems, TBAs cannot provide oxygen or professional resuscitation.
What Can Be Done?
1. Health Education and Community Awareness
Government and NGOs need to educate families—especially women in rural areas—on the importance of hospital delivery and dangers of complications that TBAs may not detect on time.
2. Improve Hospital Experience
Hospitals need to train staff to show more empathy and respect. Maternity wards should be safe, welcoming spaces where women are treated kindly. A positive hospital experience encourages more women to choose formal healthcare.
3. Train and Integrate TBAs
Rather than completely banning TBAs, some experts suggest training them on basic hygiene, recognizing danger signs, and encouraging them to refer complicated cases to hospitals early.
This approach helps build trust and allows TBAs to support safer deliveries through partnership with hospitals, not opposition.
4. Affordable and Accessible Healthcare
Governments must reduce the cost of antenatal and delivery care, especially in public hospitals. Pregnant women should not have to choose between financial survival and safe childbirth.
Also, expanding primary healthcare centers in rural areas can make modern care more accessible.
Conclusion
Every pregnant woman deserves a safe delivery, whether she lives in a village or a big city. While traditional birth attendants may offer familiarity, emotional support, and affordability, hospitals provide the critical care needed when complications arise.
Families must be encouraged to seek professional medical help, while health systems must be improved to make care more affordable, respectful, and accessible. The life of a mother and her baby should never be left to chance.
