Blog 6

A F G H A N I S T A N - Maternal Health

Located in Southeast Asia, Afghanistan is the only country within the region to still show relative high numbers of maternal mortality. Within the demonstration to the right you can see how Afghanistan numbers for maternal mortality range between  (500-999) out of 100,000 live births, which is very high compared to the rest in the Southeast Asia region where the numbers are declining. 
 In the news we rarely hear anything related to maternal health in Afghanistan, it is known for being a war zone. The population was roughly around 35 million in 2017 and it is a region in South Asia that is not known to be a tourist location because it is deemed unsafe because of the hostile environment.Children and mothers and women of all ages die from preventable causes in Afghanistan because they do not have the access to many healthcare treatments or facilities. 

In the picture to the right it shows the rural area where most maternal deaths occur because they have very limited access to the health services. The UNICEF says that "Children and mothers need access to quality community-based healthcare and comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care at district and provincial hospitals. This is critical in the first days of a child’s life and during a mother’s labour and delivery, particularly for women who have complicated pregnancies." Although the numbers have significantly changed since 1990 there is still a ton of efforts needing to be met for children and women. In 2018 the UNFPA sent midwives who are educated and skilled to help women during labor or any health services that is very much needed. UNFPA "has teamed up with the provincial Institute of Health Services to offer a community midwifery education programme." In the article it goes on to say how the "programme recruits midwives from remote villages, then trains them to meet the reproductive health needs of underserved areas. The first group of 35 midwives will soon be deployed to family health houses across Herat."
This is the effort that is needed to help prevent mothers from dying during labor as well as making sure that newborn babies have the care they also needed for their first couple of days. UNICEF has also made efforts to team up with public health advocates in Afghanistan to help provide more care from after the birth by doing routine immunizations. this will help children fight off "nine dangerous diseases." 

If training more women to be midwives and skilled birth attendants in Afghanistan I think this will have a huge impact on the region, where the numbers of maternal mortality will continue to decline and look similar to the countries around Afghanistan.   

Health. (2019, December 31). Retrieved April 6, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/health
Maternal mortality. (2019). Retrieved April 6, 2020, from https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/maternal-mortality/ 
Midwives deployed to remote Afghanistan to lower maternal death rate. (2018, July 10). Retrieved April 6, 2020, from https://www.unfpa.org/news/midwives-deployed-remote-afghanistan-lower-maternal-death-rate 

Comments

  1. Katie ZembrodApril 11, 2020 at 5:47 AM

    It is unfortunate for people living in Afghanistan to go through the lives they were born into. It isn't fair for them to have to face such burdensome situations even though they could be easily prevented. UNICEF can make a huge impact with the help they're supplying.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Julia FazioApril 11, 2020 at 5:23 PM

    Hello, Afghanistan has many problems and situations they deal with and go through everyday, but this is only one out of a thousand. This is a hard subject to discuss and I believe these kids and women should be treated and helped a lot more than they have. Although this is known as a "war zone" there are still women and children that wish to have a better healthier lifestyle. I believe UNICEF can make a difference if they keep helping and supporting the women in Afghanistan. This will take years to accomplish but with the help of others anything is possible.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 12, 2020 at 5:37 PM

    It is a great start for them to make sure the rate of maternal and child mortality decrease by deployed midwives in the family household. I am glad they are working towards preventing these issues. Hopefully, in the future, UNFPA can collaborate with other organizations to address and provide programs to lower the mortality rate and improve the wellbeing of both maternal and child.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Erica SaldivarApril 12, 2020 at 6:05 PM

    It is very sad to hear about the struggle women have in Afghanistan with childbirth. I do believe if some women were able to be educated over becoming a midwife, then this would make childbirth a lot more easier. I would also hope UNICEF can help provide more resources for women within the country.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chelsea GallegosApril 12, 2020 at 8:24 PM

    This post is very informative. I couldn't imagine being a woman in Afghanistan let alone a mother or pregnant for that matter. Like you said, it's a war zone there which means healthcare among other essentials aren't up to par to ensure the health and safety of their people. Deploying midwives is an incredible start to helping the women who are struggling. I hope one day it gets better for them.

    ReplyDelete

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