Africa Needs All Her Mothers Alive.

 THE SILENT TERMINATOR: MATERNAL MORTALITY

Every minute, at least one woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth

Five direct complications account for more than 70% of maternal deaths: haemorrhage (25%), infection (15%), unsafe abortion (13%), eclampsia (very high blood pressure leading to seizures – 12%), and obstructed labour (8%). 

While these are the main causes of maternal death, unavailable, inaccessible, unaffordable, or poor quality care is fundamentally responsible,in Kenya the system alone encourages this to thrive due to increased medical costs and poor or neglected medical practice. These factors are  detrimental to social development and wellbeing, as some one million children are left motherless each year. These children are 10 times more likely to die within two years of their mothers' death,in some cases the child might survive but fail to fit into the society because of various rasons: 

·        The father who remains behind cannot bring the child up and leaves the responsibility to the extended family denying this kid paternal love and watch.

·        It could be a case where the father neglected the mother and this kid is left alone,in this case this kid grows to either know different parents or risks to become a street kid due to lack of proper care.

Maternal death should be prevented, we must give a young woman the information and support she needs to control her reproductive health, help her through a pregnancy by providing quality prenatal care and later care for her and her newborn well into childhood. The vast majority of maternal deaths could be prevented if women had access to quality family planning services, skilled care during pregnancy, childbirth and the first month after delivery, or post-abortion care services and ‘where permissible’,safe abortion services,’I say where permissible because right now in Kenya we are making a new constitution and a section of the people are opposing  a clause that legalizes abortion in cases where the expectant mother is in danger’. 15% of pregnancies and childbirths need emergency obstetric care because of risks that are difficult to predict. A working health system with skilled personnel is key to saving these women's lives.

It is sad to read or hear in the media the magnitude of these deaths,governments are budgeting a lot in other needs as they ignore health needs of their people,major hospitals lack enough medical professionals  to handle emergency cases,the staffed ones lack the necessary equipments,it is not news for example in Africa to hear that a woman died during child birth just because of  absence of the doctor or the nurse in charge,what am highlighting here is the need for governments to prioritize the Health sector,am happy to note that in Kenya’s proposed constitution there is a  clause that states that;

 (every person has a right to the highest attainable standard of health which includes the right to health care services including reproductive health care)

 

this alone is a milestone since it is now constituted and the state shall be tasked to make sure the health of these expectant mothers is assured.

Last but not least,there should be an initiative by governments to raise awareness on maternal, newborn and child health and this should also include a special attention being given to reproductive health.

This is His Excellency The President of the republic of Kenya 2040