• UGI USER
  • May 20, 2023
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Apathy of family and high costs hinder maternal healthcare

  • According to a report by the United Nations global progress on improving maternal and newborn health has halted since 2015.

India related findings:

  • The report said that India was among the 10 countries that together accounted for 60% of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths.
  • India accounted for over 17% of such deaths in 2020, followed by Nigeria (12%) and Pakistan (10%).
  • It is also reported that India had the second-highest number of maternal deaths (24,000) after Nigeria.

Key findings

  1. Less than four visits (recommended by WHO) to antenatal care visits or ANC visits :
  • During antenatal care, health workers educate women about complications during pregnancy and labour, and after childbirth.
  • The visits also help women get access to micronutrient supplementation (iron and folic acid supplements) to prevent anaemia, which can lead to maternal and perinatal mortality.
  • It also helps them seek treatment for hypertension to prevent eclampsia, and to get immunisation against tetanus and other endemic diseases.
  1. The urban-rural divide: More importantly, only 39.9% of mothers who had no school education completed four ANC visits compared to the 68.6% of those who completed 12 years of schooling.
  2. Postnatal health check-up: Postnatal care within the first two days after birth is recommended because mothers are in their most vulnerable state in the postpartum period (42 days after childbirth).
  • As per data most women didn’t have at-least one postnatal checkup while others had a delayed check-up two days after the childbirth.
  1. Financial issue: Money is also an important factor with 27.7% citing lack of finance for refusing such visits.
  2. Tetanus shots: It is also important to point out that 8% of Indian women did not receive tetanus shots which helps prevent infections during and after surgery.
  3. Complications: More worryingly half of the husbands were informed by a health worker at any time during the pregnancy of the specific signs of pregnancy-related complications. And only about 64% of them knew what to do if the woman had a complication.Common causes of maternal and newborn deaths
  • Haemorrhage: Excessive bleeding during or after childbirth, which can lead to shock and death.
  • Infection: Bacterial or viral infections that affect the mother or the baby, such as sepsis, tetanus, pneumonia, meningitis, etc.
  • Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia: A condition characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy, which can cause seizures and stroke in severe cases.
  • Obstructed labour: A condition where the baby cannot pass through the birth canal due to its size, position, or shape, or due to a problem with the mother’s pelvis or uterus.
  • Complications of unsafe abortion: Injuries or infections caused by unsafe methods or untrained providers of induced abortion.
  • Birth asphyxia: A condition where the baby does not breathe adequately at birth, leading to brain damage or death.
  • Prematurity: A condition where the baby is born before 37 weeks of gestation, which increases the risk of infections, breathing problems, bleeding in the brain, etc.
  • Congenital anomalies: Birth defects that affect the structure or function of the baby’s organs or body parts.

Recommendations:

  • Scale-up access to quality sexual and reproductive health services as part of universal health coverage and primary health care
  • Use of technology: E.g., using a simple, low-cost collection device called a ‘drape’ to reduce blood loss during delivery
  • Addressing harmful gender norms, biases and inequalities
  • Investment and political commitment
  • Strengthening service delivery for quality and respectful care
  • Community engagement
  • Data and information systems
  • Access to quality emergency obstetric care (EmOC)

Conclusion

  • The UN report on maternal and newborn health is a wake-up call for the world to take action now to save the lives of millions of women and babies who are dying unnecessarily every year. It is also a reminder that improving maternal and newborn health is not only a moral obligation but also a smart investment that can yield multiple benefits for individuals, families, communities, and societies.