‘Almost 1,400 women die during childbirth each month’
The repeated pregnancies weaken the health of a mother and without proper family planning; her life is always at risk.
The health experts in a penal discussion titled ‘Maternal and Child Health issues in Pakistan: Challenges and opportunities’, urged the youth to be aware about the reproductive health and its impact on the future of Pakistan.
“About 1,400 women die during the pregnancies each month in Pakistan,” said Greenstar Social Marketing head Dr Syed Azizur Rab. He said that total 2.8 million miscarriages were reported yearly in the country. “Out of 10 million pregnancies reported at hospitals each year, four million are unwanted pregnancies,” he highlighted.
“The population bulge if not taken seriously, will destroy us all,” Dr Rab warned, saying there was a dire need of academic research on the issue.
Dr Talib Lashari of Sindh government’s population department said, “there is a law to prevent early child marriage and the provincial government is working hard to empower women.” He urged the newly married couples to have better family planning for prosperous future.
Gynecologist Dr Sadiah Ahsan Pal was of the view that Sindh is doing better than other provinces in terms of maternal care. “We have laws and that only can be implemented through the education.”
Dr Saba Shuja, another panelist, said that about 50 per cent girls were anemic in Pakistan, saying one of the major reasons of mortality was because of malnourishment. “Finding food for mothers is a challenge not the health [facilities],” she pointed out.
“We need to give them [girls and women] job opportunities,” said Sheena Hadi, the executive director of Aahung.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2023.