She clutched her stomach for the 10th time today in reaction to the sharp pain she felt within, this was different from any other pain she had felt since she the pregnancy, why was her baby acting up? She shut her eyes tight and endured the pain, she had no other choice anyway.
A week later, she sat on the floor admist friends and well wishers and vehemently cursed her fate. More cursed than her fate was Mrs. Okoin, the town’s make shift Nurse who sharpened the blade that stabbed her baby to death.
She had met Mrs Okoin the minute the strange pains started, but all she could say was
“You have to endure the pain, the baby is testing you, to see if you are strong enough to be its mother, it is a phase every mother goes through, Fight for your child, this is not the time to be weak.”
Maybe she didn’t fight well enough, because now not only her stomach ached, every other part of her body did too because she had lost a significant part of her life, her baby.
She couldn’t help but wonder whether her baby would have survived if things were different, if she found herself in an environment with well equipped medical facilities and trained practitioners who provided solutions to medical issues rather than justify them with superstitions. Curse her fate for not being among the rich and privileged.
All around the world, the health of millions are being threatened by so many factors like diseases, disabilities, climate conditions, poor health care and so many other factors eating deep into the fabrics of our society.
The World Health Council in conjunction with other initiatives are making efforts to curb the impact of these factors, prolong the life span of man, male and female alike and to ensure that health is recognized as a fundamental right to be enjoyed by all.
Every day, a cry is heard somewhere in the world over the loss of a baby, its mother or both. Maternal mortality has been an issue to combat, year in, year out.
Access to quality maternal healthcare during the critical phases of pregnancy, child birth and postpartum period is essential for the survival of the woman, her child and the society.
The three delays remains a standard framework for examining maternal mortality. It proposes that maternal mortality is caused by delay in
- Deciding to seek for appropriate and medical help for an emergency
- Reaching a professional health personnel
- Receiving appropriate care when a facility is reached.
Research has proven that most maternal deaths are preventable when the situation is timely managed by a skilled health professional working in a supportive environment.
Over the years, women in underserved communities have failed to access these necessities and have been at the mercy of maternal and infant mortality. This is where we come in.
Seeing the need to uphold and ensure maternal health, the GEANCO Maternal and Infant Clinic Initiative was birthed to proffer better health care to underserved women and children in communities.
We understand that health is a priority and should be enjoyed as a fundamental right by all. Everyone alive deserves to live healthy. Every woman who takes a bold step in the direction of motherhood deserves health security and assurance irrespective of her environment, social status and financial capacity.
As we celebrate the World Health Day 2024, resolve to take a stand against anything that fights against your health. Healthy living is not for the rich and privileged, it is for everyone, for you and I. You deserve to be healthy, you deserve healthy living, you deserve to have access to quality health care.
Every mother deserves to hold her baby in her arms after the 9 months waiting period,
Every mother deserves to be healthy during and after the 9 months,
Every mother deserves ease and peace during her 9 months,
Every mother deserves to have a healthy baby,
Every mother deserves to know how to preserve her health and that of the baby.
Every child deserves to have a mother free from Postpartum Post-Traumatic stress disorder,
Above all, every community deserves a healthy mother and a healthy baby.