Emergency Transport Scheme

In just one year 287,000 women die as a result of pregnancy-related complications around the world, and shockingly, 14 per cent of these deaths are in Nigeria alone. Adamawa State, in North Eastern Nigeria, has one of the poorest maternal, neonatal and child health records in the country, with 400-3000 MMR per 100,000 live births. Records from the Nigerian National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) confirm that a mere 10.7% of women deliver at health facilities in Adamawa, against a national average of 35%. Many of these deaths could have been avoided if the women had been able to reach a health facility for their delivery.

In 2013 Transaid was awarded with the five-year grant from Comic Relief to set up the Emergency Transport Scheme in Adamawa State. The ETS encourages local taxi drivers from the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to transport women to health centres free of charge or at minimal cost when they are faced with complications.