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Maternal Health

In: Social Issues

Submitted By kayleb
Words 677
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Maternal mortality proves to be one of the greatest divisions between the developing and developed countries. A shocking 99% of all the maternal deaths are estimated to occur in the developing world (UNFPA 2012).It is estimated that 47% of global maternal mortalities occur in Africa with highest levels in sub-Saharan countries.85% are direct results of complications arising during pregnancy and delivery. In these countries home deliveries are over 60% taking place largely in rural areas with unskilled attendants. About 35% of women in developing countries receive no antenatal care during pregnancy; almost 50% give birth without skilled attendants and 70% receive no postpartum care.
Kenya ranks among the top of the list in Sub-Saharan countries with the huge regional disparities and rates as high1, 300 per 100,000 in some areas (KDHS, 2013). What cannot be seen through mere statistics and the devastating effects on the Kenyan communities is that the death of a parent can lead to the breakdown of family units and the crucial loss of income for the already impoverished households. Of all the deliveries only 53% occur in health facilities, the rest are home deliveries without skilled attendants.
Home delivery refers to the childbirth taking place outside health a facility, either at home or on the way to the health facility, without attendance of a skilled health service provider. Various factors such as social-economic conditions, delays in providing adequate obstetric care and poor accessibility to maternal health care have been implicated in home deliveries and high maternal mortality in developing countries, among them Kenya.
Realizing the urgency of the problem, the improvement of maternal health was named Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2000. Along with all the member states, Kenya signed on the targeted three

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