Maternal Health
Maternal health issue are very rarely discuss as a social issue. when we look at figures and different surveys, we find that maternal death rate has decreased as compared to maternal death rate in past. Maternal health care centers has played a great role in this regard. No doubt it is a good sign that these centers play great role in decreasing maternal death rate but when we strictly observe these figures, given by different organizations in different times, and analyzed the statistics in critical manner we found that this achievement, obviously an important one regarding maternal health, is not due to the efforts of govt. or its health ministry but this downfall in maternal death rate is related with health care business. This downfall is more prominent in areas where private health sector is growing fast. Still in rural areas of Pakistan, especially in Sindh and Baluchistan maternal death rate is same as in past. Govt. is not taking any prominent measures regarding maternal health issue. Many programs to resolve this issue has been initiated by provincial govt. of provinces most prominently in Punjab but still more concrete steps are needed. Health especially maternal health is became very profitable business in Pakistan and this is due to lack govt. interest in maternal health care programs.
In fact maternal health is not only related to maternal death or complications during pregnancy but more closely attached with our societal behavior towards mothers and women. It will be not wrong if we relate this whole issue with social position of a woman in typical or traditional society. In the areas where literacy rate is high and society have gained some modern and rational values, maternal death rate and complications has been decreased to considerable level because of both reasons, presence of business based private health care facilities and women are in better social position as compare to in rural, backward, and the areas with low literacy rate.
Question related with relation of maternal health and social position of women is very important to discuss. Women position is directly related with maternal health issues. Early age marriage is basic reason of maternal health issue, girls which are not in position to marriage are get married some time on the name of traditions or due to a typical thinking regarding girls. We as a society considered a daughter and sister dependent individual. Govt. is talking good steps to avoid child marriage but issue is not going to resolve by taking steps against child marriage, no doubt an important and sensitive issue, but we should understand the difference between the child marriage and early age marriage, its mean marriage before proper physical as well as mental capability of any girl which is required before marriage and to give birth to a child. We cannot control this by passing and implementing any uniform law related to marriage like child marriage. This only can be resolved by educating the society and by changing the perception of our society towards women.
Women not only faces the difference in their position before marriage but after marriage problems becomes more severe. Unwanted pregnancy is also teasing and harsh reality of our society. Maternal health is also dependent upon the mental condition and mental satisfaction of mothers. If a women is unwanted pregnant then what will be the result we cannot even calculate. We live in patriarchal society and women are subordinate to their husbands, not only patriarchal mode of society is responsible but illiteracy and male mentality also responsible which considered women a toll to continue their race.
Absence of family planning is another responsible factor in maternal health. Our society is not much familiar with the scope of family planning. Many factors can be countdown on fingertips to point out the failure of family planning programs ranging from religious or social nature to administrative nature. Most common among all these is planning related to birth control, here we will not discuss whether it is good or not, haram or halal. But we should remove this misconception about family planning that it is only related to birth control or to control papulation, but one of the most important area of family planning is about maternal health whether women is physically ready and enough healthy for a pregnancy or not. We have limited the scope of family planning and this useful and important tool have become useless in maternal health.
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