When the New Zealand Parliamentarian’s group on Population and Development (NZPPD) chose to convene an open hearing on Maternal Health of the Pacific, it was an aim to dig out factual statistics from its developing neighbors-an initiative which is an ultimate influence of the stunning global statistics on maternal health.
A leading cause of death among women of reproductive age worldwide has been found to be maternal mortality, of which developing states claim 99%.
A recent Pacific Health report titled, Making Maternal Health Matter, was an intrique culmination of the Pacific's side of the coin.
The report, which was documented from both written and oral submissions to the group on the 21 of September 2009, was a detailed summary of revelations from various stakeholders which somehow showed how “complex the maternal health in the Pacific is."
While maternal health progress has been sighted in some Pacific countries, some have however showed amazing statistics depicting regress- perfect examples which would be Solomon Islands, PNG, Kiribati and the Federated State of Micronesia, which according to the report have “some of the highest rates of maternal deaths in the region.”
Melanesia alone, on the other hand, has topped statistics reporting “the worst reported rates of maternal deaths in the region.”
The report also surfaced real Pacific situations with stories of inaccessibility to health facilities in some areas with some lacking access to “skilled birth attendants, safe and clean birthing equipment, supplies and facilities, including emergency care....”
For the struggling Solomon Islands, perhaps an unacceptable yet brutally true finding was that of adolescents.
In Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, PNG, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, teen age pregnancy rates were found to be some of the leaders worldwide and regrettably the report states that female Pacific adolescents “experience a disproportionate burden of maternal morbidity and mortality due to not being fully physically developed and being more vulnerable to maternal depletion…”
A likely reason was found to be cultural and religious beliefs which in some ways detour many from utilizing family planning services.
Tied to that is the stigma that exists in some societies “against being young and sexually active out of wedlock.”The report states that this is “believed to discourage many adolescents from utilizing sexual and reproductive services, which adds an additional burden to them from accessing sexual and reproductive services.”
The report however found some kind of trying in some countries with positive reports from a World Vision submission in Solomon Islands stating the successful local midwifery training program embarked on since 2001 which so far has yielded 110 graduates who are now serving the provinces.
But with the population growth rate of a little more than 3%, that number won’t be enough to cater for the growing population and it is hoped that the report will help pave a way towards finding some kind of relieve for countries like Solomon Islands with recommendations that target local governments and aid donors to find a way out“..improving the situation,” states the report, “ goes beyond merely looking at strengthening the systems( although this is a key area).”
The report was released last month and can be accessed here.
