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Rwanda: Country On Track to Meet Maternal Health MDG
- Posted by: Staff Writer just now in General 0 Comments
- Maternal Health Care
- Maternal health is very important and impacts not only the mother and child but the whole family. To highlight that importance, the United Nations put maternal health in its 8 millennium development goals, which focuses on proper care during pregnancy and delivery.
  
  The number of women dying while giving birth has been greatly reduced in Rwanda, mostly thanks to the increased number of women giving birth in a health-care facility attended by a qualified health care professional. According to a report by the ministry of health, there has been an increase in the proportion of such births, with 69% of mothers being cared for by a skilled health-care worker during delivery in 2010, compared to 31% in 2000.
  
  "Women die needlessly in childbirth," announces the ministry of health. "Maternal mortality is largely preventable provided mothers receive appropriate antenatal care and are attended by a skilled health-care worker during labor." There has been a significant decrease in the maternal mortality ratio from 1,071 per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 487 in 2010.
  
  Antenatal care has been very important in the reduction of maternal deaths as it helps to reduce potential risks for the mother and child during pregnancy and delivery. "What is recommended is to have at least four antenatal care visits at regular intervals throughout the pregnancy," explains Fortunée Uwamahoro, data manager at the Muhima health center, adding that the health center received on average 237 women each month for the past six months, and those were only the ones who were coming for the first time, without including the ones who came for the follow-up visits.
  
  "The health center receives more than double the number we were supposed to have," said Uwamahoro, explaining that this is due to the proximity of the hospital and the ease of getting transferred there. "People from Gatsata for example prefer to come here instead of going to their health center in Jali, which would mean that they would be transferred to Kibagabaga hospital." She added that this is not confined to Gatsata, but also other surrounding sectors that are affiliated to different districts.
  
  Involving men
  
  As the nurses at the health center explain, the presence of the husband is usually required when going for a first visit. "We need to know the health status of the couple as it is vital for the child's wellbeing. Their lifestyle is very important for that," explains one of them, adding that men should be more involved in the health care of the expecting mothers, and not look at it as a burden disrupting their schedules.
  
  On their first visit, the expecting mothers are also taught, about ways in which to take care of themselves and the baby and what they should eat. As the time to give birth approaches, they are taught about how to get ready for the big day. "I was really glad I went for antenatal care," says Caritas Uwera, mother of a 2-month-old baby. "They told me what to do which helped me a lot during my pregnancy. It was my first and I had no idea how to handle it."
  
  "In the five hours following a normal birth, the mothers are very vulnerable," explained Josiane Umwali, a midwife at the Nyarugenge district hospital located in Muhima. "One of the problems they encounter in that time can be abnormal bleeding which may be due to a number of reasons including a wounded uterus and those whose blood does not coagulate properly."
  
  Umwali adds that when unchecked, this can lead to death, which is why they usually keep the new mothers in the delivery room for 30 minutes to monitor their situation and then send them to another room where they are closely monitored for 12 hours.
  
  "After going back home, there are those who may not take care of themselves as they should, leading to complications," said Umwali. "This is why they are usually briefed on how to take care of themselves and the babies before leaving the hospital."
  
  Education has a big impact on maternal health where the number of women delivering in health centers was significantly higher for women who had secondary or higher education (87.3%) compared to those with no education (56.7%) in the 2010 demographic and health survey.
  
  The work and the role of community health workers is also very important in improving maternal health. They are the ones who can easily motivate the women to attend the services of the health centers, and they can identify of the expectant mothers in the community and ensure they get proper antenatal care and got to the health center for the delivery.
Tags:Rwanda, Fortunée Uwamahoro, Nyarugenge, Josiane Umwali.
Source:RFI