The Millennium Development Goal Report 2013 states that the progress towards achieving the target of reducing maternal mortality by two thirds between 1990 and 2015 significantly falls short of the set goal and the indices are still poor in the developing countries especially sub-Saharan Africa (United Nations, 2013). The People’s Health Movement (PHM), through its WHO Watch clearly identifies the huge omission of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) in the WHO’s revised strategy on traditional medicine (PHM WHO Watch, 2013). The magnitude of this omission appears to be puzzling owing to the fact that in just about three decades ago the WHO aimed to reduce death of women associated with child bearing through the training of TBAs and promoted their integration into the orthodox health care system. The WHO calls for a collaborative effort in achieving the goal of reducing maternal deaths. Yet, one can insinuate that the TBAs are no longer seen as a resource to be harnessed by public health professionals in addressing the issues associated with childbearing (Langwick, 2011). The ‘friend or foe’ mentality can clearly be observed in a statement made by one of Nigeria’s chief leaders in the fight towards reducing maternal mortality published in Nigeria’s foremost editorial daily newspaper magazine, the Punch. He said that ‘it was no longer acceptable for women to give birth in TBA centres, TBAs were no longer required in labour and delivery because of the availability of enough trained or skilled personnel, and he promised to jail any TBA involved in a maternal death’ (Punch, 2013). As such, it is important for us to critically analyse and evaluate the relevance of TBAs in promoting health from a contemporary global health perspective. I...
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After reading the book which mentions the maternal and neonatal situation in Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, is pitiable. (1) Child birth takes place under lantern light, in Mud bricks with profuse sweating without electricity, no running water, no emergency backup. With only the grace of God and the skill of a midwife that child birth takes place in remote villages in the country of Mali, West Africa, having the third highest total fertility
Indicators. United Nations, 7 July 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. This data sheet shows the
Mary Louise Fleming, E. P. (2009). Introduction to Public Health. Chatswood, NSW, Australia: Elsevier Australia.
Shi L. & Singh D.A. (2011). The Nation’s Health. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Monique was the midwife and practitioner of her small village of Nampossela. She helped mothers fight child malnutrition and illness, and did pregnancy consultations, including birth. She was one of a kind, extraordinary at that, and became so popular in her village and surrounding villages that she had women from six different villages coming to her, totaling up to a hundred and forty prenatal consultations a month and birthing more than ten babies (Page 199). Monique opened the clinic early each day, and would stay late into the evenings to care to her pregnant patients. The conditions of the birthing house were horrific. “The structure’s cement venner was chipped and failing, revealing mud brick. A corner of the corrugated tin roof gaped” (Page 6). Covering a majority of the birthing room “was an immense concrete block that served as the delivery table” (Page 6), and adjacent to that was a “plastic tub for the afterbirth, a medical kit in a tin box, and a frayed birth ledger” (Page 7). Giving birth in Mali in the twentieth century was light years away from the luxurious childbirth in the States. All Monique had was “simple tools, clean hands, and a sharp mind. If a woman needed an IV, or a Cesarean section, or a fetal monitor, it was not an option” (Page 89). Medication was not offered to ease the pain and induce labor, a
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I first considered a public health career when I interned at the Ghana Health Service Family Health Department as an undergraduate student. Participating in national meetings focused on strategies to reduce maternal mortality in Ghana, I recognized that, in order to create sustainable advances, it is crucial to address the underlying social inequalities that exacerbate adverse health outcomes. To advance this goal, I am seeking admission into the Global Health and Population Doctoral Program at the Harvard School of Public Health.
A senior health fellow, Lyndon Haviland, is referenced by Smith. Haviland gives potential solutions to Africa’s high birthrate. Some of these solutions include investing in education for girls, giving access to modern contraception, improving healthcare, and convincing Africans that their children will live.
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The newborn mortality and maternal death is at the peak because of the lack of skilled professionals care during and after childbirth. Over half of maternal deaths occur during the postpartum period and their direct causes include obstructed labor, unsafe abortion, infection, and hemorrhage. Nonetheless, the uptake of postpartum care is lower in these countries and is clearly related to the lack of education and poverty. Comparing to the European region, the under-five mortality rate is seven times higher in the African region and Africa and South-East Asia accounts for more than 70% of all child deaths with more than 50% concentrated in just six countries: India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
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In 2000, 189 member states of the UN set out international development goals, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), by committing to the pursuit of tackling issues such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, diseases and other key social issues by 2015. These goals had been used and applied by states, NGOs and IGOs in order to improve and defend policies aimed at development. The MDGs plan was unprecedented in its ambition and was the first ever internationally coordinated and well-funded initiative to address various social issues collectively on a global scale. Significant progress has been made in all MDGs: extreme poverty has reduced by half or more, the, the campaign against