Despite noticeable challenges in the Ministry of Health, Zanzibar has been doing well in as far as achieving the target of reducing maternal mortality ratio as per the Millennium Development Goal five (MDG5), by 2015. Mr Kassim Issa Kirobo, officer responsible for education, communication and information, Department of Mother and Child Health, said Zanzibar has managed to reduce maternal mortality by more than 50 per cent.
Below is an article published by Daily News:
“In the past decade, we have managed to reduce maternal mortality from 400/100,000 down to 282/100,000. We are determined to make sure that the number decreases further by 2015,” said Kirobo.
He said that Zanzibar is still short of skilled medical personnel including midwives, and equipment, but said there have been improvements in health delivery. Kirobo appealed to women rights groups and members of the community to encourage pregnant women to give birth in hospitals, and warned that giving birth through traditional attendants puts their lives at risk in emergency cases.
The Health Officer also emphasized that family planning contraceptives are safe for users, and that the perception that it has worst side effects including cancer, is wrong and women should use the contraceptives with advice from a doctor.
Meanwhile, even with free medical care in place for pregnant women, most of them in villages in north Unguja still prefer to have their babies at home, says the health officer in the region.
The Kivunge Cottage Hospital Medical Superintendent, Mr Shaa Ali Hamad, said that many women still give birth at home alone or with help from a traditional midwife.
“We provide free maternal services for pregnant mothers until labour. We have encouraged them to visit maternal centres and hospitals, but still some women avoid coming to hospital,” said Hamad.
He said that in an effort to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, awareness and improvement of health services particularly having better equipment is necessary. Some of the major causes of maternal deaths are haemorrhage, infection, unsafe abortion, eclampsia (very high blood pressure leading to seizures), and obstructed labour.
- See more at: http://www.unpo.org/article/17389#sthash.y6XMh1V2.dpuf
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