Vadodara: Every third woman who delivers a baby in Gujarat villages dies after a few days.
This was revealed by a study by local NGOs working on maternal health.
TheY blame absence of post-natal care and continuity of care after deliveries for such deaths that occur despite government guidelines mandating at least three post-natal visits to ensure maternal and neo-natal health, The Times of India reported.
They cited the case of a woman in Dahod village who went to a private doctor when she suffered from breathlessness and giddiness in the ninth month of pregnancy. She was given medicines and not treated for any other complications. A private doctor a few days later diagnosed her with an intrauterine fetal death and referred to the civil hospital where she delivered a stillborn baby. On the fifth day after her discharge, she bled to death before she could reach the hospital.
“The main issue that we identified during the research was that the public health system is largely short staffed. In some health centers there no doctors so there is no point expecting a gynecologist there. There are no sonography machines and other equipment which are the basic requirement,” said Pallavi Saha, a member of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (people’s health campaign).
Between January 2012 and December 2013, a total of 46 maternal deaths were documented in the report titled ‘Social Autopsies of Maternal Deaths in Select Areas of Gujarat’.
Out of the documented maternal deaths from 15 blocks of 11 districts in the state, 60.8 percent mothers died after their deliveries. Among the post natal deaths, eight occurred within 24 hours of the delivery, three within a week of the delivery and 17 between eight to 42 days of delivery.
“Post-delivery care seems to be completely absent both at the levels of the health system and the community. Mothers are required to stay in the hospital for at least 48 hours but they take discharge immediately because they are largely daily wage workers and can’t forward to miss a day’s work,” Saha added.
She said the frequent movement of these women also hinders proper medical follow-ups and care leading to a higher maternal mortality rate.
“The lack of gynecologists and doctors in general along with the fact the society gives no importance to post-natal care are the problem areas which need to solved without delay,” Saha said.
There is absence of any form of post-natal care and continuity of care after deliveries, despite government guidelines mandating at least three post-natal visits to ensure maternal and neo-natal health