Daily Times

According to recent research, Pakistan has been ranked the worst performer out of 186 countries on maternal health, the key indicator being the rate of stillbirths, in which Pakistan had the highest rate of 2015 with 43.1 deaths per 1,000 total births, making it worse off than countries such as Nigeria, Somalia, Togo and Mali in the bottom ten. This figure has come to the fore less than a year after Pakistan made a commitment during a UN forum to improve maternal health as part of its Sustainable Development Goals. To fully understand the severity of the situation and the tremendous challenge it poses for Pakistan, the figure of 43.1 per 1,000 needs to be juxtaposed with the average rate of stillbirths in the world, i.e. 18.4 deaths for every 1,000 total births. This too reflects an abysmal state of maternal health in the world at large. This figure has improved from 24.7 per 1,000 total births in 2000; this too is being deemed a highly unsatisfactory improvement. Moreover, the target set for 2035 is 10 or less per 1,000, and reflects how far Pakistan still needs to go. Stillbirths are defined as deaths that take place during delivery or after the third trimester of pregnancy has begun, before which deaths are considered miscarriages. The astounding figures of the study show 2.6 million babies are stillborn every year. Most significantly, 1.3 million of these deaths occur during labour through causes that are preventable, provided the health system is equipped with the knowledge, expertise and facilities required.

Unfortunately the incontrovertible fact is that such a provision is a distant dream for the common man in Pakistan, who is left at the mercy of the haphazard health system, negligible facilities and often vacuous and unskilled practices of the health staff. The government, busy in setting up showpiece projects for point-scoring with the public, fails to fathom the tragedy of deaths that by nature are preventable but are taking lives by the millions. The deplorable state of maternal wellbeing is also a reflection of this. Principal causes of stillbirths cited in the study are prolonged pregnancy and maternal health problems pertaining to nutrition, non-infectious diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, or lifestyle factors like obesity or smoking. If mothers are provided with proper knowledge, all these problems can be alleviated. The government needs to prioritise health over all other issues, being conscious of every human being’s right to life, which means that no economic, regional or other disparity should hinder a citizen from receiving proper healthcare. For Pakistan to have any chance of overcoming its lag, besides creating denser networks of healthcare units, especially in the rural areas, and countering problems of female access to facilities, the government needs to reinvigorate the current system so that investment in healthcare does not become a victim of self-serving policies and reaches those who desperately need it. *