‘Maternal and child health care crisis amidst pandemic’

September 4, 2020 83 Views No Comment

DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 3 (MExN): The Angamimiapfü Mechü Krotho (AMK) today stated that there is a “maternal and child healthcare crisis” in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A press release from the AMK President, Kevinourheno Seyie and General Secretary, Shürhivino Nakhro said that while the pandemic has hit everyone hard, “the worst-hit are those who often do not have the means to tell their hardship and has left some people more wounded than the rest.”

Quoting data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the AMK said that 94%`of all maternal deaths occur in low and lower middle-income groups, reflecting inequalities in access to quality health services.

“While the Maternal Mortality rate has been brought down considerably over the years, the denial of services in the wake of COVID-19 would turn back the clock by several years behind if COVID-19 related activities have to continue at the cost of many other patients suffering from other medical conditions, most specifically maternal and child care,” it cautioned.

Denying services to expectant mothers is “most unfair” and the lack of affordable maternal care is most unfortunate for the fact that two lives are put at risk, or that the whole family is put in financial jeopardy by having to seek the same in the private sector, the AMK said.

It asked the Government of Nagaland and the Department of Health and Family Welfare to consider the plight of mothers and the plethora of grave ailments affecting the poor and the marginalized. “To endure and nurture a pregnancy is an arduous task beyond the miracle of life. But to have been denied the service of an affordable health care is even worse and can be seen as not only a failure on the part of the government, but also a violation of their human rights,” the AMK said.

With the various Government District Hospitals closed to the public for general patient care, the AMK said that there are many patients “who have been suffering silently with excruciating difficulty, especially expectant mothers seeking normal deliveries or caesarean sections, and other patients seeking surgical treatment, cancer care and renal failure patients in need of dialysis.”

It informed that many have been forced to seek health care in the private sector beyond their means which is unaffordable to many. “The lockdown and the loss of wages and earning have deepened the personal financial crisis further more. Many have incurred huge debts in the pursuit of health care in private sectors,” the AMK said.

While all District Hospitals are expected to take all measures to provide health care services even during the pandemic, the AMK said that “Kohima has all the more reason to ensure the provision of general health care services in government hospital.” This, the AMK stated is because it is the referral health center for all the other districts and patients come to Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) from far and wide.

It further pointed out that in terms of infrastructure, manpower, facility and resource, the NHAK is “better off compared to the rest.” The AMK therefore termed it imperative that public health care services resume at the earliest, it being the only government health center in the whole State providing cancer care as well as dialysis and a state-of-the-art ICU.

While appreciating the Out Patient Services provided by NHAK at the PMTI make-shift OPD, it said that the lack of inpatient facility, child delivery and operating facility does not mitigate the distress of the poor. It informed that there were some talks of the NHAK resuming public health care services to the relief of many who depend on government hospitals for their health care. However, the AMK said “nothing has changed on the ground despite the lapse of several weeks.”

The AMK asserted that it is incumbent upon the Government to ensure that no lives are lost for want of services in the district hospitals.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/maternal-and-child-health-care-crisis-amidst-pandemic