A United Nation multimedia radio reported on Tuesday October 25 that in Zimbabwe eight mothers die giving birth every day. Already infant mortality statistic is worrisome in the African country.
With the medical advances we have at this time in human history, this should not be acceptable.
After many years of reckless domestic and economic policies under Pres. Robert Mugabe, the heath care system of Zimbabwe is almost the worst that comes to mind. It is not difficult to understand why maternal death is that high in Zimbabwe. The economic situation almost excludes the likelihood of expecting mothers attending the hospital or clinic because they cannot afford to pay for the bills. Pregnant mothers in Zimbabwe go through their pregnancy term without any check ups. Last year, the Mugabe regime actually authorized hospitals and clinics to charge patients in foreign currency.
In some communities in Zimbabwe, it is luckiest of pregnant women who are able to obtain the services of community midwives. Even though some of the midwives are able to handle most common situations, they do not have the experience to handle the most challenging pregnancy complications, such as bacterial infection, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, obstetrical hemorrhage, and ectopic pregnancy. These require gynecologist and obstetricians.
The average Zimbabwean earns $1.50. It is therefore not unexpected that most of them depend on community midwives and are not able to see gynecologist. Approximately 100 children die daily in Zimbabwe daily due to easily preventable diseases.
Zimbabwe is among the top 6 countries in the world with the worse record on maternal mortality. In spite of this, President Mugabe doesn’t even pretend to have a clue or care. A few days ago, the president and the First Shopper spent $300,000 on a date with the loser of the reality show Big Brother Show. Consider this in the light of the standard of living in Zimbabwe and it may even appear pornographic.
The average Zimbabweans could live on this for 200,000 days! Even in the US with the highest cost of health care, the average cost to deliver at the hospital with a normal vaginal birth is about $15,000. This means the amount the president’s family spent with the Big Brother loser could handle 20 hospital births.
Maternal mortality and infant mortality is a big burden on African countries. The chance of a woman dying from complication of pregnancy or delivery is 1 in 15! in Africa; in North America it is 1 in 3750.
This is a fight that can be won, but it requires strong political will with multidisciplinary programs focusing on prevention and early management of complications. The figures are not good and so are those for malaria, but when was either of these a key manifesto in any election across the continent?
