MATERNAL HEALTH
Problem: Another problem within Niger is maternal healthcare. Many pregnant woman die and do not receive good healthcare. "In Niger, a woman's lifetime risk of dying due to complications caused by pregnancy or childbirth is one in seven. Every year, 14,000 Nigerien mothers die from pregnancy-related causes – most of which are preventable – and thousands of other women experience injuries, infections, diseases or disabilities that can cause lifelong suffering.
'It is so important for women in Niger to access antenatal care visits, because Niger has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world,' said the head of UNICEF Niger’s maternal health programme, Marie-Claire Mutanda.
Delivering at home is deeply rooted in the country’s culture and traditions. Only 17 per cent of women in Niger give birth at health facilities."
Woman have a high chance of not surviving as they give birth, and many of those that do survive are not left healthy. This is because there are not a lot of doctors in the country to help these women. "Medical facilities are limited in Niger, even in the capital. State-run hospitals and clinics often lack equipment and essential drugs. There is also a severe shortage of trained medical professionals." Even if there were more doctors and hospitals, women would most likely not go. Due to culture they prefer to give birth at home. "The government has exempted mothers and children under five from health user fees. However, culturally, women are still hesitant to visit hospitals and clinics, especially if the nearest facility is far away. This means most women in Niger do not have a skilled medical attendant (either a doctor or midwife) during pregnancy and childbirth."
Solutions: One solution to this serious problem is to have more traveling doctors. Instead of just staying in the hospital, doctors could travel around the areas farther away. This might give more women the opportunity for medical care, and it would be in their home like they prefer. They would be like doctors in America years ago who made house calls. The doctors could also pass on important information to the people in the village; just little things that might make a big difference that the villagers did not know about.
Another, more costly, solution would be to build more hospitals. That way women are more likely to come in when the hospital is closer to their home. I would also suggest that teenagers in Niger who wish to become doctors are given that opportunity. This would cost money, but a medical school could be built, if there isn't already one, in Niger for students to attend who wish to become doctors and nurses. They would need help to pay for this education. this could be done by people giving loans to the students, and when those students become doctors and start earning money, they could pay the money back. Or the money could be loaned to these students by doctors, and when they finish their training they could work for the doctor who gave them money. They would work, helping this doctor with their work, for a certain amount of years for free. This way they would also get more training. Providing students with this opportunity would give more kids and education, and provide the country with more doctors. Those doctors would also understand the traditions and culture upheld by those they treat, since they are from the same country as them.
Another solution was created by UNICEF. "A few kilometres from Guidan Roumdji, in the village of Kabawa, traditional birth attendant Rabi Omoro, 70, is on her way to visit a young mother.
Ms. Omoro, an extremely influential woman in her village, is part of a network of 630 traditional birth attendants that were trained by UNICEF across the country to provide assistance before and during pregnancy, as well as providing guidance on essential care for newborns.
'Since I was trained four years ago, I have been working a lot with health centres located in the area,' said Ms. Omoro. 'I refer complicated cases to these centres as soon as I identify danger signs, such as hypertension. I have also been promoting birth spacing among women in the village, and I explain them the importance of exclusively breastfeeding their babies during the first six months.'
I think this is a great idea, and should continue. I think what Niger really needs, in terms of healthcare, is people coming to them. It does not seem that many will come on their own. I think it is a great idea to have "a network" or people who know how to help mothers, and that these people come to the mothers. UNICEF gives these "birth attendants" the information they need to pass on to mothers, and then they go give that information to the mothers. Sometimes all the mothers need is information to help them take care of their babies. Also Ms. Omoro reports more serious cases to the health centres. I think all doctors and attendants who come to the mothers in their homes, should do this. That way if something very serious is happening those at the health centres can help. Maybe instead of sending doctors to homes, like I suggested earlier, nurses should be sent. These nurses should be able to identify more serious cases, like Ms. Omoro does. When they find these serious situations, they can inform the doctors. Then the doctors could come to the women. Women may be need to go to the hospital, though, where there are more medical tools.
Problem: Another problem within maternal health is that many of the women in Niger give birth at very young ages. It is harder for them to give birth since they are so young. They give birth at young ages because they are also married at young ages. "A tradition of early marriage has not helped. Nearly 80 percent of Niger women are wed by the time they reach 18 and 40 percent before the age of 15, making complications frequent." Girls get married at young ages in Niger, because it is how things are done there. It is part of their culture. But, getting married so young, then consequently getting pregnant so young makes giving birth even more difficult. "'At this age, the body is still fragile and not ready for maternity,' said Yahaya Mani, a doctor working in the Niger countryside." Many of the women giving birth in Niger are still teenagers. Their bodies are not yet quite prepared for the rigorous task of having a baby. Since their bodies cannot handle giving birth, many girls die. "Official records bear this out, according to the UN which said a third of maternal deaths are among girls 15 to 19." A huge chunk of pregnant women in Niger are still teenagers, and because they are so young, many die from pregnancy.
Solution: Find a solution for this particular problem could be very difficult. We do not want to try and change Niger's culture, and doing so would be extremely hard. But, young women are dying because they are too young to be giving birth. A solution could be to once again have speakers come and try to get information to women. They could inform them of how dangerous it is to get pregnant at young ages, and encourage them to wait. My guess is though, that this will not do a lot of good. It seems to be a big part of Niger's culture to have young women get married at young ages. It would be hard to change this.
Another solution could be to try and teach young women to focus on their education. This would cause them to wait awhile before getting married, and it would help them to have the skills needed to have a better life. With an education they can get out of poverty. If women focus on getting an education it could help them in many ways, especially in maternal health. If they are working towards and education, they will not get married or pregnant so young. They could also be educated in how to have a safer pregnancy when they get an education.
To take care of teenagers who are pregnant, and to try and help them have a safer pregnancy, they could get healthcare. A doctor might be able to help them during pregnancy when a problem comes up. They have the knowledge needed to help these women. As I suggested earlier there could be more hospitals or traveling doctors who could lookout for these young women, and help them during pregnancy. Having a doctor there during birth could save more women, since a doctor would have the knowledge needed to keep the women alive. They could give a lot of attention to the young women during pregnancy, since they have a higher chance of not surviving.
This problem is a difficult one to solve. We do not want to change the culture of Niger, but more women would survive if they did not have children so young. I believe the best way to solve this problem in maternal health is to encourage women to get an education. That would stop so many teenagers dying from childbirth, and it would bring about so many other solutions as well.
Problem: Another problem within Niger is maternal healthcare. Many pregnant woman die and do not receive good healthcare. "In Niger, a woman's lifetime risk of dying due to complications caused by pregnancy or childbirth is one in seven. Every year, 14,000 Nigerien mothers die from pregnancy-related causes – most of which are preventable – and thousands of other women experience injuries, infections, diseases or disabilities that can cause lifelong suffering.
'It is so important for women in Niger to access antenatal care visits, because Niger has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world,' said the head of UNICEF Niger’s maternal health programme, Marie-Claire Mutanda.
Delivering at home is deeply rooted in the country’s culture and traditions. Only 17 per cent of women in Niger give birth at health facilities."
Woman have a high chance of not surviving as they give birth, and many of those that do survive are not left healthy. This is because there are not a lot of doctors in the country to help these women. "Medical facilities are limited in Niger, even in the capital. State-run hospitals and clinics often lack equipment and essential drugs. There is also a severe shortage of trained medical professionals." Even if there were more doctors and hospitals, women would most likely not go. Due to culture they prefer to give birth at home. "The government has exempted mothers and children under five from health user fees. However, culturally, women are still hesitant to visit hospitals and clinics, especially if the nearest facility is far away. This means most women in Niger do not have a skilled medical attendant (either a doctor or midwife) during pregnancy and childbirth."
Solutions: One solution to this serious problem is to have more traveling doctors. Instead of just staying in the hospital, doctors could travel around the areas farther away. This might give more women the opportunity for medical care, and it would be in their home like they prefer. They would be like doctors in America years ago who made house calls. The doctors could also pass on important information to the people in the village; just little things that might make a big difference that the villagers did not know about.
Another, more costly, solution would be to build more hospitals. That way women are more likely to come in when the hospital is closer to their home. I would also suggest that teenagers in Niger who wish to become doctors are given that opportunity. This would cost money, but a medical school could be built, if there isn't already one, in Niger for students to attend who wish to become doctors and nurses. They would need help to pay for this education. this could be done by people giving loans to the students, and when those students become doctors and start earning money, they could pay the money back. Or the money could be loaned to these students by doctors, and when they finish their training they could work for the doctor who gave them money. They would work, helping this doctor with their work, for a certain amount of years for free. This way they would also get more training. Providing students with this opportunity would give more kids and education, and provide the country with more doctors. Those doctors would also understand the traditions and culture upheld by those they treat, since they are from the same country as them.
Another solution was created by UNICEF. "A few kilometres from Guidan Roumdji, in the village of Kabawa, traditional birth attendant Rabi Omoro, 70, is on her way to visit a young mother.
Ms. Omoro, an extremely influential woman in her village, is part of a network of 630 traditional birth attendants that were trained by UNICEF across the country to provide assistance before and during pregnancy, as well as providing guidance on essential care for newborns.
'Since I was trained four years ago, I have been working a lot with health centres located in the area,' said Ms. Omoro. 'I refer complicated cases to these centres as soon as I identify danger signs, such as hypertension. I have also been promoting birth spacing among women in the village, and I explain them the importance of exclusively breastfeeding their babies during the first six months.'
I think this is a great idea, and should continue. I think what Niger really needs, in terms of healthcare, is people coming to them. It does not seem that many will come on their own. I think it is a great idea to have "a network" or people who know how to help mothers, and that these people come to the mothers. UNICEF gives these "birth attendants" the information they need to pass on to mothers, and then they go give that information to the mothers. Sometimes all the mothers need is information to help them take care of their babies. Also Ms. Omoro reports more serious cases to the health centres. I think all doctors and attendants who come to the mothers in their homes, should do this. That way if something very serious is happening those at the health centres can help. Maybe instead of sending doctors to homes, like I suggested earlier, nurses should be sent. These nurses should be able to identify more serious cases, like Ms. Omoro does. When they find these serious situations, they can inform the doctors. Then the doctors could come to the women. Women may be need to go to the hospital, though, where there are more medical tools.
Problem: Another problem within maternal health is that many of the women in Niger give birth at very young ages. It is harder for them to give birth since they are so young. They give birth at young ages because they are also married at young ages. "A tradition of early marriage has not helped. Nearly 80 percent of Niger women are wed by the time they reach 18 and 40 percent before the age of 15, making complications frequent." Girls get married at young ages in Niger, because it is how things are done there. It is part of their culture. But, getting married so young, then consequently getting pregnant so young makes giving birth even more difficult. "'At this age, the body is still fragile and not ready for maternity,' said Yahaya Mani, a doctor working in the Niger countryside." Many of the women giving birth in Niger are still teenagers. Their bodies are not yet quite prepared for the rigorous task of having a baby. Since their bodies cannot handle giving birth, many girls die. "Official records bear this out, according to the UN which said a third of maternal deaths are among girls 15 to 19." A huge chunk of pregnant women in Niger are still teenagers, and because they are so young, many die from pregnancy.
Solution: Find a solution for this particular problem could be very difficult. We do not want to try and change Niger's culture, and doing so would be extremely hard. But, young women are dying because they are too young to be giving birth. A solution could be to once again have speakers come and try to get information to women. They could inform them of how dangerous it is to get pregnant at young ages, and encourage them to wait. My guess is though, that this will not do a lot of good. It seems to be a big part of Niger's culture to have young women get married at young ages. It would be hard to change this.
Another solution could be to try and teach young women to focus on their education. This would cause them to wait awhile before getting married, and it would help them to have the skills needed to have a better life. With an education they can get out of poverty. If women focus on getting an education it could help them in many ways, especially in maternal health. If they are working towards and education, they will not get married or pregnant so young. They could also be educated in how to have a safer pregnancy when they get an education.
To take care of teenagers who are pregnant, and to try and help them have a safer pregnancy, they could get healthcare. A doctor might be able to help them during pregnancy when a problem comes up. They have the knowledge needed to help these women. As I suggested earlier there could be more hospitals or traveling doctors who could lookout for these young women, and help them during pregnancy. Having a doctor there during birth could save more women, since a doctor would have the knowledge needed to keep the women alive. They could give a lot of attention to the young women during pregnancy, since they have a higher chance of not surviving.
This problem is a difficult one to solve. We do not want to change the culture of Niger, but more women would survive if they did not have children so young. I believe the best way to solve this problem in maternal health is to encourage women to get an education. That would stop so many teenagers dying from childbirth, and it would bring about so many other solutions as well.