Maternal Deaths Soar in SA

Maternal deaths in SA have risen 20% in the 2005 to 2007 period.*
You can read the article i'm referring to here

4077 pregnant women died in this period: 3 women every day (and this is recognised as a reflection of only some of the deaths, because many are not reported, or the women 'choose'** not to attend a public or private health facility). The South African health department published these stats and the report citing 'poor assessment of health problems' and 'failure to follow health protocol' as the major reasons for these deaths, at least 38% of which where completely avoidable according to the report.

What on earth is happening here? And what recourse can women have when they have no option but to have their baby?

The report lists HIV as the cause of death in 43.7% of cases. 79% of maternal deaths tested were HIV positive (though their HIV may not have been the primary cause of their death). This are scary statistics that make clear the undeniable existence of a generalised HIV epidemic in South Africa. The South African National Strategic Plan for HIV and STIs 2007 - 2011 recognises the links between HIV and maternal deaths and pledges to expand postnatal cover to HIV positive women including nutritional support, formula for breastfeeding and the inclusion of community based strategies for support of pregnant women before and after their pregnancy. It is important for all of us involved in women's rights to ask NOW - where are these promised safety nets? And if they have not yet begun to be stitched who can be held accountable, and how can we begin stitching them ourselves?

It makes clear another problem and that is that many women are pregnant and HIV positive, indicating that there needs to be a reduction in the vulnerability of girls and women to HIV (another promise made in the NSP). Part of this involves education about rights, improved legal services for women, better training of people responding to women's needs (particularly the SAPS), and ensuring that law (whether South African national law or South African cultural law) protects women rather than obstructs their rights.

This is not an isolated issue. Poverty, poor transport, poor education, poor nutrition, poor salaries in the health care sector, poor screening of pregnant women for other diseases, poor management on the part of the Department of Health and a lack of political will on the part of government to consider the lives of these 4077 women as important lives lost indicate an extremely large, extremely broad problem that requires immediate attention.

These women would have been mothers. They would have been carers. They would have helped other women and other men and many children to lead productive lives and develop South Africa. They would have cared for other women, men and children who were ill to get better. I watched sky news the other day and they showed the depth of the grief of citizens about the deaths of British soldiers, and allowed these soldiers to be identified as people who can given their lives for a particular cause.

I wonder now where our grief is for our women, our soldiers and casualties in the war against HIV and state inefficiency?


* Maternal deaths are defined as "deaths of women while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes."

** Choose is a very powerful word, and I recognise that the choice not to go to a health centre may not be a choice at all, but may be a result of societal, familial, religious or cultural pressures. Thus when I describe it here I mean a choice within a very limited context in most cases.