MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE OF BALOCHISTAN
Good health & good sense are the greatest blessings but not everyone has the former one available at hand. Though health care it’s the basic right of every citizen it seems it has only been left within the boundaries of being a privilege that only a few can avail.
Pakistan has a very high Maternal Mortality Rate in the region but Baluchistan is the highest contributor with an average amount of 784 out 100,000 mothers in child-birth or related complications while the rest part of Pakistan has 272.
In accordance with the Pakistan Demographic Health Survey (PDHS), in 2014 out of 1,000 children 111 dies at the age of five years in Baluchistan while another part of the country has 49. Eventually, the most resourceful land of Pakistan keeps lagging behind the race of good health facilities & cares amongst the total population of country Baluchistan yet still the rate of malnutrition and alarming.
Regarding research in Baluchistan, 16% of the children are malnourished, 52% are stunted, 39.6% are underweight. Baluchistan is the front line regarding Maternal Mortality Rate as compared to other provinces, the reason behind this isn’t merely negligence of higher authorities to contribute accurate medical care to the facilities deprived areas but the illiteracy & unawareness of the public, without proper health care assets such as medical staff, clinics, pharmacies, collaborative technologies, unskilled & traditional methods of treatment are being used by attendants which manifest to be a major cause in the diminishing health system in remote areas.
Baluchistan has some of the worst health statistics in the world. The situation is particularly dire, access to health care & education in province conspicuously for women & children is extremely limited & the province’s Maternal Health Rate is highest in the whole country.
According to the survey of (PDHS) in 2018, 56% of women in Baluchistan receive antenatal care from a skilled provider & 38% of births in Baluchistan are assisted by a skilled provider for almost every 2nd child (over 47%) in the province is stunted.
Because of long-distance, poor communication system, lack of social awareness & lack basic health facilities compounds the problems of women. A large number of women lose the battle for life during pregnancy. S
uccessive government has failed to address the basic health issues across the province, despite the allocation of substantial amounts, medicines & other equipment is not available in government-run hospitals of province, women faced with a host of diseases as skilled attendants. According to the Maternal & Child Health policy of Baluchistan, the application of birth spacing will prevent 41% Maternal, 35% infants, 74% of young child deaths.
The authorities shouldn’t turn blind eyes to the prevailing health issues in Baluchistan especially designed education material, family planning & safe motherhood. Women of Baluchistan should be made aware of their prenatal & postnatal dietary & precautionary steps during pregnancy.
Apart from that traditional attendants should be trained in clean delivery & should be well aware of obstetric & newborn complications.