The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has identified systemic delays in seeking and accessing healthcare, deep-seated socio-cultural barriers, transportation hurdles, and financial constraints as the primary factors driving maternal deaths across the FCT.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement session held at the FCTA Secretariat in Abuja on Friday morning, September 11, 2026, the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Human Services, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, highlighted the complex web of challenges preventing pregnant women from receiving timely emergency obstetric care.
”Maternal mortality in the FCT remains a pressing public health concern,” Dr. Fasawe stated during her address at 10:30 AM. “Our findings show that preventable deaths trace directly back to delays in deciding to seek care, severe transportation bottlenecks in hard-to-reach rural communities, socio-cultural norms that limit women’s autonomy in healthcare decisions, and out-of-pocket financial strains.”
Main factors outlined by the FCTA include; Delay, Fear, lack of awareness regarding pregnancy danger signs, and cultural preferences for traditional birth attendants.
Socio-Cultural Barriers such as Gender dynamics that restrict women from making independent healthcare decisions without familial consent.
Another main factor is the inadequate emergency transport systems, bad road networks, and geographic isolation of rural FCT communities and high out-of-pocket medical costs and transport fees that deter low-income families from visiting health facilities early.
To address these vulnerabilities, the FCTA inaugurated a specialized multi-sectoral task force mandated to dismantle these socio-economic and structural barriers, expand primary healthcare coverage, and establish subsidized emergency logistics for pregnant women across all six area councils.
