By Mohammad Ibrahim
Thirty five year old housewife Mary (not her real name) was in labour with her fourth child. She has spent four days in labour at home without been assisted by any health worker or trained birth attendant.
On the fifth day her condition became worse, so her husband’s relatives decided to rush her to a clinic in nearby village, for medical assistance, since there was none in the community.
The nearest community with the health clinic is about 15 minutes ride on motorcycle because of bad road. That is for those whose husbands are fortunate to own one — majority of the men in the community have none talk less of cars.
It was time to take Mary to Rigachikun, which is the nearest community, but because her husband doesn’t own a motorcycle and because she was weak to seat on motorcycle for the journey, she had to be carried on wheel barrow to the clinic like other pregnant women in her condition.
The women of this community are used to been carried on wheel barrow to the local clinic while in labour.
Marry was lucky to get to the clinic on time and she gave birth to a baby girl, but other women were not fortunate to get to the clinic — they either lose the baby, or sometimes their lives, in some cases, both mother and baby are lost on arrival.
” I was lucky to arrive the clinic alive because it was not in rainy season which enables us to cross the bridge easily. This is why our women prefer to give birth in dry season to avoid being stranded at home during labour, ” she said.
The Ungwar Jatau Community
Welcome to Ungwar Jatau community, located behind National Teachers Institute, Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria where pregnant women prefer to give birth in dry season than in rainy season.
The situation in the area is so pathetic that there are no social amenities that one could think of, except primary school constructed by the community itself.
The lack of bridge to link the area to other communities is their major challenge. It was gathered that the moment it rains the area is completely cut off from the rest of the world for days depending on the magnitude of the water in the river.
Unguwar Jatau Traditional ruler, Musa Ayuba, said there was nothing members of the community had not done to persuade both past and present state and local government officials to come to their aid, but to no avail.
“You can see for yourselves what we are passing through in the community in spite of the fact we are just a stone throw to Rigachikun and the National Teachers Institute, Kaduna but without a single social amenities to show for it in this 21st century.
“We have lost a very good number of people who have drown in the river moment it rains in an attempt to cross, and still, our children cannot go to school or our women cannot go to hospital and market.
“We are therefore still appealing to Kaduna State and Igabi local government Area to please provide us with social amenities for a better standard of living,” he said.
Chairperson, Women Foundation of Nigeria, Maryam Abubakar who recently visited the community to render free medical treatment to the members of the community described their condition as pathetic, particularly pregnant women.
She offered to render medical training to youths in the community to take up the challenge facing the area.
Kaduna State is ranked among States with high rates of maternal mortality in the country. Th state lies in the northwest which records 1024 deaths out of every 100,000 live births.
