Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. It encompasses the health care dimensions of family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care to ensure a positive and fulfilling experience & to reduce maternal morbidity.
A moment of unimaginable joy is what a mother feels when a newborn is placed in her arms – a joy every mother should have the right to experience. However, for many pregnant women in India, this memory will never come to be, for the moment of birth is often frightening.
Healthy Mother, Happy Baby!
Maternal mortality is considered a key health indicator and the direct causes of maternal deaths are well known and largely preventable and treatable.
All women need access to prenatal care in pregnancy, skilled care during childbirth, and care and support in the weeks after childbirth. All births should be assisted by skilled health professionals, as timely management and treatment can make the difference between life and death for both the mother and the baby.
However, coverage of life-saving health interventions and practices remains low due to gaps in knowledge, policies, and availability of resources. In a few areas, there is a gap between the rich and the poor & the urban and the rural. Access to health services is often dependent on a families’ or mother’s economic status and where they reside. Here is what UNICEF is doing-
Reaching Every Mother: UNICEF supports the implementation of the MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) policy - every delivery should be attended to by a skilled health care provider in a healthcare facility.
Continuum of Care: Improving the health and nutrition of mothers-to-be and providing quality maternal and newborn health services. This includes improving access to family planning, prenatal care during pregnancy, improved management of normal delivery by skilled attendants, access to emergency obstetric and neonatal care when needed, and timely postnatal care for both mothers and newborns.
Antenatal Care: All pregnant mothers must register for antenatal/prenatal care at the nearest health facility as soon as aware of the pregnancy. This is to assure healthy progress of their pregnancy and to timely identify high-risk issues affecting their health or their baby’s well-being.
Although important progress has been made in the last two decades, about 295,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2017. This number is unacceptably high.
To achieve the global goal of improving maternal health and to save women’s lives we need to do more to reach those who are most at risk - women in rural areas, urban slums, poorer households, adolescent mothers, women from minorities & Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe groups.
