Maternal health key indicator to functioning health system-MoH

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Tuesday February 22, 2011 00:00

The launch, which will be held in Maun, will carry the theme 'Botswana cares: No woman should die while giving life.' This campaign has been adopted to further strengthen the provision of quality health information and services in order to reduce high maternal and newborn deaths.

Assistant Representative of UNFPA Sarah Masale has indicated that the campaign was launched at a larger scale in June 2009 at the African Union (AU)'s Ministers of Health conference in Addis Ababa under the theme 'Africa cares: No woman should die while giving life.'

'At the conference, AU Ministers of Health called on leaders to commit to keeping maternal, infant and child health top on Africa's agenda for sustainable development of the continent,' she said. 

She said that the aim of the campaign is to further advance social development of women both locally and internationally and to accelerate universal accessibility and availability of quality health services with the aim of reducing mortality rates.

'The leading causes of maternal deaths are haemorrhage, infections, unsafe abortions, high blood pressure leading to seizures and obstructed labour. These complications are highly treatable if adequate care, supplies and medicines are available,' she said. Director of Public Health, Shanaaz El-Halabi said that CARMMA is launched with the believe that the vast majority of maternal and newborn deaths can be prevented if all women have access to family planning, delivery in a clinic or hospital by a trained person and emergency care when needed.  

She said that ensuring access to voluntary family planning could reduce maternal deaths by more than one third and child deaths by as much as 20 percent.

She revealed that maternal death from HIV/AIDS related causes has declined from 26.6 percent and 30.6 percent in 2005 and 2006 respectively to 9.8 percent in 2007 indicating a significant progress in reducing HIV/AIDS related maternal deaths.

However, she said that even though maternal mortality ratio in Botswana remains relatively low in comparison to other developing countries, it remains a concern, as it does not conform to the prevailing maternal health indicators and conditions.

'Botswana has a well organised health care delivery system, with 96 percent of the population within 25 kilometres radius from the nearest health facility and providing free or minimal charged services. Skilled personnel assist over 94 percent of deliveries. So it is a surprise that we still have high mortality rates,' she said. 

Among other things, there is still urgent need to provide skilled attendance during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period at all levels of the health care delivery. Since its launch in 2009, 18 African countries, including Botswana have launched the campaign. WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF and other UN agencies and Africa's development partners support the campaign.