"You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortion."
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
The Ministry of Health recorded 362 cases of women mortality in 2009, and the three most important causes were malaria (29%), pre-eclampsia (19%) and puerperal infection (10%). Of the three, puerperal infection was the only one that has increased since 2007.
According to this data, 29% of causes of death in women are linked to maternity. These cases, along with deaths from malaria, accounted for over half of deaths among women in the country in 2009 (58%).
The high maternal mortality rates were also confirmed by the indicator of 1400 women per 100,000 live births in 2006, one of the highest rates worldwide.
WHAT IS ANGOLA DOING?
Given this backdrop, Angola has drawn up a National Strategic Plan to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality, to reduce these occurrences as quickly as possible, based on the increase of primary health care.
This effort aims to lower the rate of the levels foreseen by international health organizations and meet the target set for 2015 (350 women per 100,000 live births). For this reduction to be possible, significant progress is needed on access to primary health care, in skilled attendance during pregnancy and family planning and prevention of communicable diseases that allow the detection of maternal diseases.
The use of family planning and contraception can ensure the control of disease transmission and the number of deliveries at the right time. This way, the mother can recover so her following pregnancy and childbirth occur when she is stronger and there are appropriate nutritional conditions for the survival of the unborn child.
Preventing teenage pregnancy is also important, since young women's bodies are not properly formed due to lack of maturity. This preventive measure contributes to reducing the risk of women contracting diseases and dying during birth or early in a child's life.
Despite the importance of these measures, IBEP data (2008-2009) reveals difficulties in assisting women in these fields, although progress has been made in recent years.
Sources:
http://www.ao.undp.org/content/angola/en/home/mdgoverview/overview/mdg5http://www.our-africa.org/angola
http://www.angola-today.com/society/health/
http://www.unicef.org/health/index_maternalhealth.html
The Ministry of Health recorded 362 cases of women mortality in 2009, and the three most important causes were malaria (29%), pre-eclampsia (19%) and puerperal infection (10%). Of the three, puerperal infection was the only one that has increased since 2007.
According to this data, 29% of causes of death in women are linked to maternity. These cases, along with deaths from malaria, accounted for over half of deaths among women in the country in 2009 (58%).
The high maternal mortality rates were also confirmed by the indicator of 1400 women per 100,000 live births in 2006, one of the highest rates worldwide.
WHAT IS ANGOLA DOING?
Given this backdrop, Angola has drawn up a National Strategic Plan to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality, to reduce these occurrences as quickly as possible, based on the increase of primary health care.
This effort aims to lower the rate of the levels foreseen by international health organizations and meet the target set for 2015 (350 women per 100,000 live births). For this reduction to be possible, significant progress is needed on access to primary health care, in skilled attendance during pregnancy and family planning and prevention of communicable diseases that allow the detection of maternal diseases.
The use of family planning and contraception can ensure the control of disease transmission and the number of deliveries at the right time. This way, the mother can recover so her following pregnancy and childbirth occur when she is stronger and there are appropriate nutritional conditions for the survival of the unborn child.
Preventing teenage pregnancy is also important, since young women's bodies are not properly formed due to lack of maturity. This preventive measure contributes to reducing the risk of women contracting diseases and dying during birth or early in a child's life.
Despite the importance of these measures, IBEP data (2008-2009) reveals difficulties in assisting women in these fields, although progress has been made in recent years.
Sources:
http://www.ao.undp.org/content/angola/en/home/mdgoverview/overview/mdg5http://www.our-africa.org/angola
http://www.angola-today.com/society/health/
http://www.unicef.org/health/index_maternalhealth.html