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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Tue Sep 21 2010 - 06:26:11 EDT
Eritrea reducing maternal death, on track to achieve the MDGs
Date: 21 Sep 2010
In the market town of Senafe, in southern Eritrea, Fethawi Berhane has just
undergone three days of painful labor and complications during child birth
that resulted in the death of her baby. Despite the best efforts of a
traditional birth attendant her child could not be saved. Luckily Fethawi
survived amid the inhygenenic and poorly equipped medical conditions in
which she had to give birth.
Fethawi's case is not a unique one in Eritrea, which once had the highest
maternal mortality rates in the world with about 1400 deaths per 100,000
births. The main contributor to this was the high incidence of obstructed
labour.
The rural nature of Eritrea, with poor communication and transportation
infrastructure in the outlying areas, resulted in 80 percent of deliveries
occurring without a physician or trained midwife.
Today, however, Eritrea is one of the four African countries said to be on
course to achieve Millennium Development Goals five on Maternal Health -
reducing by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio and reaching below
350 deaths per 100,000 births by 2015 since 2005.
This drastic positive change in the last few years has come about through a
joint collaboration between the UNDP, the health ministry and other UN
agencies. Concerted programmes that focus on maternal health campaigns have
been intensified. Information and training on community awareness of
maternal issues; delivery plans and preparedness for skilled attendants in
health is conducted in local languages and in remote parts of the country.
Traditional birth attendants have been trained to improve their skills.
Today, each community has trained maternal care givers. Expectant mothers
living far from medical centres do not have to risk their lives and travel
long distances while in labour. Trained birth attendants visit them in their
homes before and after delivery, to ensure that both mother and baby are in
good health, as well as to provide medical advice.
Additional funding of US$ 88 million would be required in the next four
years to ensure universal coverage of maternal and neonatal health
intervention in Eritrea - giving hope to women like Fethawi Berhane that
child birth will no longer be a matter of life and death.
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