IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL POLICY (JHSP )

E-ISSN 2545-5729
P-ISSN 2695 2416
VOL. 10 NO. 5 2024
DOI: 10.56201/jhsp.v10.no5.2024.pg1.13

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Faith Healing and Maternal Mortality: Curbing the Alarming Rate among Nigerian Women through Health Education and Information Dissemination

Ufomba, Eleazar Enyioma, Ph.D., Onyema, Chibuzor Kwaskebe, Justina Ph.D., Zubairu, Aishatu N. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Religion, being an integral part of everyday life and conversation in Nigeria, also plays fundamental role in pregnancy and child delivery. Religious pregnant women do not limit their maternity care to healthcare providers, but also subscribe deeply to the practice of faith healing in order to conquer spiritual powers that could wage war against their child delivery. Through hermeneutic-phenomenology approach, this paper examined the connection between misapplied faith healing activities and maternal mortality in Nigeria. As a cross sectional study, the data used in this study was collected through oral interview with 5 doctors, 5 midwives, 5 pregnant women and 5 prophets, after ethical approval was granted and consent of the interviewees obtained. The findings revealed that pregnant Nigerian women subscribe to faith healing, and spend much time in prayer houses in order to obtain the supernatural power to conquer the attacks of the ‘enemies’ who may try to truncate their pregnancy and child birth, as well as to receive the power to deliver like the biblical ‘Hebrew women’. However, in their attempt to have a seemingly balanced and comprehensive maternity care, most pregnant women register with maternity homes just for registration sake. In most cases, they absent from antenatal check-up, and ignore taking drugs as prescribed. The study concludes that religion is a strong determinant of the safety and welfare of pregnant women. Therefore, in order to curb the rate of maternal mortality, the healthcare providers should pay attention to the people’s religious and spiritual life, and create avenues for mutual understanding with faith healers who can also serve as scientific health promoters without forfeiting their divine anointing.

keywords:

Faith Healing, Maternal Mortality, Nigerian Women, Health Education, Information

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