THE Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has identified the alarming number of maternal deaths in the hinterland as a crucial public health issue and it will be employing measures to combat this.

Addressing toshaos and senior village representatives on the last day of the National Toshaos Conference (NTC) at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, the Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, related that focus will be directed to maternal and child health, because this is a terrible issue plaguing indigenous communities.

“Our data [has] shown that the largest percent of deaths are coming from our indigenous villages and we are not happy about that,” Lawrence bemoaned. And to this end, she said that the health ministry will be directing short, medium and long-term measures to combating the scourge.

Director of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Department, Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton, gave a comprehensive presentation on the causes and contributing factors of maternal deaths in the hinterland regions and highlighted the ministry’s intention to correct these.

Regions One and Nine have been recorded as hinterland regions with the highest number of recorded maternal deaths. The major causes of this, according to the doctor, are haemorrhaging (bleeding) before, during and after delivery, and high blood pressure, which may also lead to bleeding in the brain.

Not attending the clinic entirely, attending irregularly or joining just before giving birth are factors that hinder the delivery of the best service. “From the time the woman misses her period, we want her to come to the clinic,” Dr. Hamilton stressed and added that this is necessary so that proper guidance and care can be given to the women.

Another contributing factor is the practice of delivering babies at home, and despite acknowledging that some babies are delivered well and the health of the mother and child is protected, there are some that die as well. “And any death is one too [many],” Hamilton posited.

But with the large geographic size of the hinterland regions, compounded by their terrain, the distance from health centres deters women from utilising the facilities, Hamilton acknowledged.

She however revealed that to provide some redress, the ministry will be investing in training members of the communities to become community health workers (CHWs) and pre-existing CHWs will be trained to become midwives.

Some 20 persons from Region Nine have already received training this year and other batches of 20 persons will be trained from Regions One, Seven and Eight. Also, a special training programme will be given to all health personnel to zero in on preventing death by bleeding.

Establishing Maternity Waiting homes is another solution the ministry will be venturing upon, to specifically cater for the distances the women would have to travel before giving birth. Waiting homes have already been established in Regions Four (at Princes Street) and Nine, and government through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is currently extending the waiting home in Regions Nine and Four. A home is currently being proposed for Moruca.

Speaking directly to the village leaders, Lawrence stressed that unless there is a “buy-in” from the “protectors” of indigenous women and children, there will be no real progress in reducing maternal deaths.