Efforts to reduce maternal mortality in Nigeria have received a significant boost in Ogun State, where a United Kingdom-based Nigerian entrepreneur and healthcare professional, Toba Ogunremi, has funded emergency surgeries and cleared hospital bills for 43 indigent pregnant women and new mothers. The intervention, driven by direct hospital engagements and referrals, highlights the critical role of private philanthropy in bridging gaps within Nigeria's healthcare system, particularly for vulnerable women unable to afford life-saving medical care.
Financial Barriers Overcome
Ogunremi explained that several beneficiaries had completed treatment but were unable to leave the hospital due to outstanding bills, some of which were relatively small but insurmountable for their families. He said, "There is this woman who was admitted for eclampsia and cord prolapse. Her total bill stood at N430,000, out of which N169,600 had been paid, leaving a balance of N260,400, which we settled."
"Similarly, another woman admitted for prolonged labour had an outstanding bill of N276,500 after paying N103,500 from a total of N380,000. The balance was also cleared," he added.
According to him, in some cases, amounts as low as N70,000 prevented patients from being discharged, reflecting the financial strain faced by many households seeking maternal healthcare services. He disclosed that an additional N155,000 was recently deployed to support emergency cases at a general hospital, noting that one beneficiary, Mrs Kehinde, required assistance on two occasions before she could finally be discharged due to her family's financial constraints.
Personal Experience Sparked Initiative
Tracing the origin of the initiative, Ogunremi described a personal experience that shaped his decision to intervene in maternal health challenges. Speaking on how he started the humanitarian work, he explained, "It started with a feeling I couldn't shake. I remember a chance encounter with a desperate husband at a hospital gate years ago. I later saw the man again with his wife and child. That moment stayed with me and pushed me to start visiting hospitals, not as a professional, but as someone who could not look away."
Through his engagements, he encountered numerous cases of women detained after childbirth or unable to access critical procedures due to financial limitations. "We found mothers who had just given birth but were held back because they couldn't pay. Some needed urgent surgeries and had no one to help," he said.
Collaboration with Healthcare Workers
Beneficiaries of the intervention were identified through frontline healthcare workers, including ward managers, nurses, and resident doctors, who flagged urgent cases requiring immediate assistance. "There was no formal selection process. It was based on immediate need—a doctor saying, 'This patient needs help today,'" he added.
Ogunremi noted that all medical procedures were carried out by Nigerian doctors, whose expertise he commended despite systemic constraints within the healthcare sector. "The issue has never been the competence of our doctors but the system that fails both practitioners and patients," he said.
Future Plans and Call to Action
He revealed that the initiative has already cost tens of millions of naira, with all resources directed solely toward patient care, and expressed plans to expand its reach in the coming year. Ogunremi aims to scale up the initiative to reach at least 100 beneficiaries next year while calling for improved systems to identify those most in need. "My goal is to reach about 100 people, but we need a better system to know who truly needs help. So far, we rely on encounters and referrals from healthcare workers," he said.
He further urged individuals and stakeholders to support vulnerable populations, noting that many preventable deaths occur due to financial barriers rather than a lack of medical solutions. "People are dying because they cannot pay for treatment, not because solutions don't exist. We must act, even if it is one person at a time," he said.
Reaffirming his focus on maternal health, Ogunremi stressed the broader social impact of losing women during childbirth. "A woman dying in childbirth is not just a statistic; it is a family tragedy. No woman should die while giving life," he said.
Public health experts have consistently highlighted Nigeria's high maternal mortality rate, linking it to poverty, limited access to quality healthcare, and insufficient funding across the health sector—factors that continue to make interventions like Ogunremi's both urgent and essential.
