Hussaini Kafi in Kano
At least 50 per cent of women in rural areas of Kano State still prefer to give birth at home with the help of traditional birth attendants, a new report by Africa Health Report (AHR) has revealed.
The finding was presented during a stakeholder dissemination meeting in Kano by the Director of Programmes, Nigeria Health Watch (NHW), Kemisola Agbaoye, who said the trend is driven largely by cultural beliefs and limited access to quality maternal care in rural communities.
“We have found that there are disparities in access to primary healthcare between rural and urban areas,” Agbaoye said. “In some rural local governments, over half of the women still give birth at home despite ongoing government interventions.”
She added that barriers such as poor transportation, cultural norms, and low antenatal care attendance continue to hinder safe deliveries.
Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said the government is currently constructing 260 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres, with plans to ensure each of the state’s 484 wards has at least one functional PHC.
