“Ending preventable maternal mortality (EPMM) remains an unfinished agenda and one of the world's
most critical challenges. Maternal health, well-being and survival must remain a central goal and
investment priority in the sustainable development goal agenda”. This statement from the World Health
Organization (WHO) document Ending Preventable Maternal Death is most appropriate especially for
developing nations.
Using 2010 as baseline, the current global maternal health targets are achievement of average maternal
mortality ratio (MMR) of 70/100,000 live births. Nations whose MMR are more than 420/100,000 live
births (the group where Nigeria belong) should have MMR not higher than 140 by 2030.
There was recognition of the need for improved measurement and data quality in other to track the
progress or lack of it as we approach 2030. Maternal health services need to be accountable more than ever
before. Maternal death and near miss measurement is one way to achieve this. In this paper a three levels
of maternal death and near miss audit, surveillance and review is recommended for Nigeria and other
developing nations. Both measurements can be done together.
Maternal death measurement also called maternal death review (MDR), audit or surveillance answers
pertinent questions about the death of pregnant women, how many died? Where did they died? When did
they died? Why did they died? Can these deaths be prevented? When MDR is followed by response
(evidence base intervention) it becomes MDRS and thereby eliminates all preventable deaths. Every
maternity service department and hospital, state and national government should audit the outcome of
maternal health care being provided as a matter of accountability