Promotion of Maternal Health

According to the latest statistics by WHO , 585,000 women of reproductive age die every year due to complications of pregnancy , and 99 % of the deaths occurs in the developing countries ! So keeping in mind the present condition of maternal health in the developing countries , I would like to focus on such a nation which is none other than the sovereign secular and democratic republic of India .
One possible method of promotion of maternal health is through awareness camps where the patients should be educated regarding the maternal deaths and proposed solutions.For instance, the women should be told of the adverse effects of alcohol, drug addiction and smoking on the health of the child .Through such camps, the patients should be encouraged for self examination and regular medical checkups for diseases before and during pregnancy.
Anaemia correction is also an important factor that can affect the maternal death rate . It should be made compulsory for the women to have anaemia correction as the anaemic patient is prone to infections and other complications during pregnancy which can be prevented .
So adequate immunization is a key factor in controlling maternal deaths.Similarly in Less developed countries,tetanus immunization and the rubella vaccination should be promoted on a large scale.
Another practical method could be the reference of high risk patients to Tertiary care hospitals i.e. high dependency units .There should be special screening of high risk patients and even the underprivileged should be immediately transferred to the Tertiary care hospitals without delay .
This reminds me of our neighbor , Bangladesh , where 68.7% of the women give birth to the baby without the assistance of trained birth attendants.The two main reasons behind this are poverty and illiteracy which is quite prevelant in the developing nations . So the government should provide subsidies on the medical treatment of the underprivileged as far as possible.
The women should also undergo pre-pregnancy counselling with the family doctor regarding her ability to get pregnant and screening of various diseases which could prove extremely harmful during pregnancy . So such disorders or deficiencies can be well controlled before the onset of pregnancy .
The family doctor should also plan regular home visits, after the delivery ,for looking after the women and giving necessary details during that period because post delivery is also marked as a crucial period and mistakes could even lead to harmful consequences . For instance , the doctor should take care that the patient is taking all the medicines correctly , the breast feeding is regular and appropriate , etc.
Lastly , another factor which plays an important role during pregnancy is the psychological healthe of the women . The women should be mentally healthy and able to rule out day to day stress . It has been scientifically proven that the vibes are transferred from the mother to the child, whether they be positive or negative .The women should be introduced to good thoughts and literature , and even the medical institution should ensure the calm mind and personality of the mother as it directly affects the child.