6 days Ago By Sodiq Ojuroungbe
Sodiq Ojuroungbe To make strides towards the reduction of Nigeria’s alarming maternal mortality rate, leading obstetricians and gynaecologists have asked religious leaders to stop interfering in pregnancy-related matters and leave them for the experts to handle. The gynaecologists expressed displeasure over the growing interference of clerics in issues relating to childbirth, disclosing that the troubling trend had worsened the county’s high maternal and infant mortality rates. The experts lamented that many pregnant women were increasingly turning to their spiritual leaders for guidance on childbirth, often ignoring critical medical advice from healthcare professionals, a practice that has resulted in many avoidable morbidity and deaths.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, the maternal health specialists suggested that religious leaders should be educated on the importance of medical care and the role they could play in encouraging women to seek appropriate care during pregnancy. The experts raised concerns about the dangerous influence of religious leaders on maternal health, following the widely reported case of Janet Dada, a middle-aged woman who claimed to have been pregnant for eight years. Dada claimed that she suffered a miscarriage in 2016 and after that got pregnant, stating that since then, she had yet to deliver the baby.
Although she clarified that several ultrasound scans showed she was not carrying a baby, spiritualists whom she visited assured her she was pregnant. Similarly, there have been countless reports of women who, due to their faith in religious leaders, delay or even refuse medical intervention, resulting in dire outcomes. In some instances, women with complicated pregnancies have chosen to rely on spiritual healing or prayer over seeking timely medical treatment, leading to delayed presentations at hospitals and avoidable deaths.
Reacting, the maternal experts in separate interviews with our correspondent, warned that if this interference continues unchecked, it would lead to more deaths of pregnant women and their babies. The gynaecologists called for more collaborative efforts between healthcare providers and religious leaders to improve maternal health outcomes. A renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Joseph Akinde told PUNCH Healthwise that many pregnant women in Nigeria often have more confidence and trust in their pastors than in their doctors, which he noted contributed significantly to the country’s alarming maternal mortality rates.
According to him, while spiritual beliefs are an important aspect of holistic healthcare, prioritising religious counsel over medical advice could lead to poor pregnancy outcomes. Dr. Akinde Joseph The reproductive health expert who is a former Chairman of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, acknowledged that the Nigerian constitution guarantees individuals the freedom to worship and seek spiritual advice, and medical professionals cannot prevent patients from turning to religious leaders for assistance.
He, however, stressed that when these spiritual interventions override medical recommendations, it could lead to severe consequences, particularly in cases of pregnancy complications. The gynaecologist emphasised that while religious leaders play a role in providing emotional and spiritual support, they must encourage their congregants to follow medical advice, especially when it pertains to critical health decisions. He pointed out that religious leaders should not spread fear or discourage women from seeking professional medical care.
The physician noted that religious leaders should collaborate with healthcare providers to ensure that their members receive the best possible care during pregnancy and childbirth. He stated, “It is said that everything manifesting in the physical has spiritual connotations. Spiritual leaders cannot be totally disregarded in health matters because we have to take the religious beliefs and practices of an individual into consideration in offering holistic care to an individual but this is not to say that what religious leaders say must be swallowed hook line and sinker in the presence of empirical evidence to the contrary as has often been the case in our environment “On account of the above many pregnant women would rather believe their pastor rather than their doctor and this has no doubt contributed to our very poor statistics on maternal health.
And all classes of our women from the illiterates to even PhD holders are guilty of this unwholesome practice. “Prioritising spiritual matters over empirical medical advice has often resulted in catastrophic outcomes for the patient and medical practitioners should not rest on their oars in efforts to persuade their clients to accept recommendations for adequate treatment of complications that may arise in the course of pregnancy. “The role of religious leaders is to encourage their members to comply with medical advice rather than instilling fears into them and discouraging them from patronising orthodox medical services.
” Corroborating his statement, a consultant gynaecologist, Dr. Stanley Egbogu stated that many of these spiritual leaders, despite their claims of divine healing, often fail to advise their followers to seek medical care alongside prayer. While acknowledging that spiritual leaders do have a role in counselling pregnant women on medical issues, the physician pointed out that their influence often goes beyond guidance, leading to dangerous pregnancy outcomes.
Egbogu, who works at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Awka, Anambra, alleged that spiritual leaders, in their desire to attract followers, focus heavily on health-related miracles, especially in the context of childbirth. He lamented the pervasive issue of poverty, which leads many people, particularly the poor, to prefer free religious solutions over costly medical care. The gynaecologist shared alarming examples of women being misled by religious leaders into refusing necessary medical procedures like cesarean sections.
He recounted a case where a woman in labour was advised by a pastor that she would not need a C-section, but when complications arose, she died after rejecting the medical intervention. Egbogu emphasised that such interference not only puts the lives of mothers at risk but also leads to preventable child deaths, especially when women delay seeking proper medical attention due to religious beliefs. The reproductive expert stressed that miracles can manifest in many ways, not just through direct healing, but through medical discoveries and interventions that save lives.
He argued that even medical treatments are, in essence, miracles, as they work for some patients and not others. He added, “They (religious leaders) have a role, I wouldn’t say they don’t have any role. Because they are also important in counselling sessions.
But what we have here is that some of the spiritual leaders want to attract people to themselves. Almost all their miracles and almost all their attention are on health issues. “Let me tell you, miracles can occur in different forms.
For instance, if you escape an accident, you have a miracle. If you are driving and you nearly had an accident, and luckily you escape, it is a miracle. It is a testimony that can be shared with someone.
If you discover something that nobody has discovered, it is a miracle. It is not all the time you come and say you cured diabetes, you cured psychosis, you cured HIV.” Egbogu further said, “You see a woman who is in labour, you projected that she would deliver normally, but she ended up having CS.
That means if she didn’t have CS, she would die. It is not God that told you this thing. “This particular attitude of religious leaders could worsen our maternal health indices in the country.
Yes, it’s a very big factor. Because I think it is one of the major factors. If you can get the religious leaders to understand the workings of the hospital, it would be good for people.
“We are having a lot of maternal deaths in the country. In fact, it is assumed that every hour, a woman in Nigeria dies from childbirth. Now, consider our population and the number of people that are pregnant.
If I say it every day, I think I am taking it too lightly. Because every day, somebody must die from childbirth and these complications.” Egbogu warned that this misplaced faith in spiritual leaders, over and above professional medical advice, is a significant factor in Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate, with one woman dying from childbirth every hour in the country.
The specialist argued that the situation would improve if religious leaders were better educated about medical practices and worked more closely with healthcare professionals. According to him, religious leaders should encourage their followers to seek medical care while also praying for positive outcomes. He noted that physicians are not in opposition to faith, but rather, they work alongside it to ensure the best health outcomes for their patients.
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