The National Population Commission (NPC) says utilisation of antenatal care is imperative for the prevention and reduction of maternal mortality ratio.

Mr. Osifo Ojogun, the NPC Project Director for the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

The 2018 NDHS had revealed that about 512 persons would die out of 100,000 live births in a space of seven years.

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Ojogun said that only regular visits to hospitals during pregnancy would checkmate such a tragic occurrence in the future.

“Regular visits to hospitals for at least four times during the period of pregnancy are advisable.

“Utilisation of antenatal care would provide insight into unforeseen deaths or health dangers for doctors and the more a pregnant woman visits hospitals, the better and earlier to point out some future dangers like hemorrhage.

“Issues of high blood pressure, as well as the abridged position of the baby, could be detected early,’’ he said.

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Ojogun also said that the level of education of a woman in pregnancy also matters while calling on enlightened people around a pregnant woman to encourage them to go for antenatal.

“Educated mothers go to a hospital where they will get help during delivery while uneducated mothers either do not know or delay in taking the decision,” he said.

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