The Maternal Mortality Of South Africa Essay

In South Africa, AIDS is one of the top causes of death. South Africa has the biggest AIDS/HIV epidemic in the world because of violence against women, poverty, and lack of education. Given this, “Africans account for nearly 70% of those who live with HIV and are dying of AIDS” (Morgenstern, Dr. Michael).

Worrying about food, childcare, transportation, housing, and work are troubles that generally afflict the impoverished community. Women who are pregnant and face these conditions tend to have preterm births and low birth weights among their children (Nkansah-Amankra, 2010). This is an example of how far reaching the effects of poverty are, they are even able to influence the unborn. Once born into a low-income family the child is more likely to develop a mental illness if not already born with one (Nagahawatte, 2008, p.82). Cases of mental illness have risen from 15% in 2007 to 17% in 2012 (KIDS COUNT, 2015). This is an increase in poverty of 5% and gives some explanation of the rising mental health rate since 57% of kids living at or below the national poverty line has a mental illness (Stagman, 2005, p.

Maternal mortality represents more than the loss of lives for individual women, as it also reflects the larger value and prioritization of women 's health and threatens the health and survival of families, young children, and even the communities in which they live (Royston and Armstrong, 1989). Maternal mortality is unacceptably high (WHO, 2015b). Globally, approximately 830 women die every day from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications (ibid.). The causes of maternal mortality are predominately preventable and can be classified into three fundamental causes: (1) medical - consisting of direct medical problems and pre-existent/coexistent medical problems that are aggravated by pregnancy, (2) underlying - social and legal conditions, and (3) health systems laws and policies that address availability, accessibility, and quality of reproductive health services (PHP et al, 2011).

It is essential for us to recognize the prevalence and devastating effects of maternal depression on the parent-child relationship and the child’s health. Understanding the cultural values and beliefs of ethnic women is an obstacle to correctly diagnosing depression. These women often express their psychological distress through physical symptoms. According to National Guideline Clearinghouse (2013), all women should be asked about their depression two weeks after birth, and the woman's psychological well-being should continue to be assessed for PPD if symptoms haven’t resolved. Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Screening or Beck Depression Inventory can be useful, but many health care providers do not know how to access additional mental health care when women screen positive for depression (Onunaku, 2005). As a result, maternal depression often goes unrecognized and untreated. Appropriate identification and immediate proper follow-up care is critical to a new mother’s health and the health of her baby

As mentioned above, the spread of disease from mother to child was becoming an increasing problem in South Africa: by 2000, the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women had risen to nearly 21%; one rural

In terms of public health and associated concern, in the recent years it has been observed that mental illness has major impact on pregnant women and postpartum period which has become a concern of public health lately. The aspect that associated with pregnancy of women and their mental health that has brought this topic in the forefront is the fact that mental health problems like depression and anxiety have the probability to impact women twice as compared to men. The severity of the situation seen from a global perspective, shows that depression is one of the major reasons of maternal mental illness during the childbearing age of women, which is approximately between the age group of 18 to 40 years. As a result of this to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) it contributes approximately 7% of the entire GBD for women of all age group (Leham, 2015).

Perinatal mental illness is a collective term used to describe mental illnesses experienced by at least 10% of women during pregnancy and up until a year after birth (Hogg, 2014). Mental health is with paramount importance to the role of the midwife (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), 2014) as mental illness is a significant threat to the lives of mothers and can have a huge effect for their babies and families (Knight et al., 2015). Between 2009 and 2013 there were 161 maternal deaths related to mental health problems, one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the United Kingdom (UK) (Knight et al., 2015). The main types of mental health disorders, signs and symptoms along with possible treatments

The health of many women in Algeria which is part of Sub-Saharan Africa in 1990 were impacted by the poor health care system because they lived in poverty. Poverty caused these women to lack essential needs to live a quality life. They lacked or could not afford resources such as supplies, health care professionals, and facilities for healthcare, clean water, and waste disposal. This ultimately affected the health of women and their children. For instance, lack of clean water and waste disposal facilities can cause health abnormalities such as cholera or typhoid fever which can cause devastating deaths. This is a healthcare problem because of the lack of funding. The lack of funding prevents antibiotics from being used to prevent death, and prevents African’s from being vaccinated against typhoid fever. Another example of how poverty affects woman’s health is unintended pregnancy, which is because they are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. It's part of the health crisis because it includes a poor health system, and a lack of education about proper nutrition and behaviors during pregnancy. Complications in these pregnancies due to poor nutrition and not visiting the doctor regularly includes increased infant mortality. Infant mortality in the slums of Nairobe is 91.3% while it is 75.9% in urban areas where there is a better developed healthcare system. The inferiority of poor Africans in

Perhaps one of the most pressing issues faced by women in Many African countries today are the many barriers preventing them from having access to sexual health and family planning services. “The World Health Organization (WHO) defines family planning as “the ability of individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of involuntary infertility” (Tessema, Gizachew Assefa, 2). By examining the causes of what is preventing women in areas Africa from taking control of their sexual health, and the number of children they wish to have, possible solutions can be contrived. In Kenya for example, “20.9 percent

In 2013, 289 000 women died during pregnancy and childbirth and it was estimated that everyday 800 women all over the world died from childbirth or childbirth-related problems (World Health Organization, 2014). Often, maternal mortality is found to occur more often in developing countries than developed countries. Maternal mortality refers women who died from the situation like during pregnancy, termination of pregnancy within 42 days, regardless of duration and place of pregnancy, from aggravation caused by the pregnancy or pregnancy management (Nwagha et al, 2010). Maternal mortality may be resulted from direct or indirect cause. Direct causes are from obstetric complications of pregnancy, labour, and puerperium, and interventions whereas indirect causes are from the worsening of current conditions by pregnancy or delivery (Givewell, 2009). This paper aims to examine the causes for maternal mortality in both developed and developing countries and will end with a proposal for government to ensure women are given reproductive health rights.

Girls are valued property in the sub-Saharan Africa areas and fathers will often sell their daughters into cruel, abusive marriages. As a result, the girls will then be driven to drop out of school and assume their “wife duties”. The lack of education offered to them will significantly impact their knowledge of the countless complications that may come with childbirth. Considering this, maternal death is an imposing risk for these young girls, and most of the time, they will not have access to basic health care to ensure a healthy

To effectively address mental health, there has to be a supportive policy environment in place, as well as intensive planning to coordinate and expand access (WHO, 2010). Sub-Saharan Africa is comprised of 48 countries that lie south of the Saharan desert, of the 48 countries in this region, a mere 52 percent have a mental health policy in place. (World Health Organization, 2010). Conversely, the policies in place do not have clear vision statements, thorough areas of actions, or evaluation processes. Overall, these countries lack comprehensive mental health policies (WHO, 2010). The policies that are currently in place have not been updated in over 15 years (WHO, 2010). Based on the lack of comprehensive policies, mental health issues are

According to the World Health Organization, the causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in Sub- Saharan Africa are mainly results of a defective health system when it comes to dealing with complications during and after birth. The complications that contribute greatly to maternal mortality include hemorrhage, infection, high blood pressure, unsafe abortions, and obstructed labor. These complications are the leading causes of death among women aged 15 to 49 in developing countries.

It is regrettable that female infanticide and foeticide are rapidly decreasing the female population throughout India. The main factors that is responsible for the increase in the incidence of female infanticide and foeticide is the low status of women, son preference, and the practice of dowry across all casts groups.

Because of such social and economic challenges, fear, grief, anger, anxiety and possibly depression and suicidal thoughts are common psychological effects which will at one time haunt the infected women since the husband may distant himself, withdrawing any form of support as he accuses her of bringing the infection into the family. In countries like Zimbabwe, the cultural, social and religions expectations create beliefs about rigid gender roles that result in the lack of empowerment among women. The differences in power in interpersonal relationships create a context of oppression that propitiates psychological trauma.