National Safe Motherhood Day!

810 women. 810 women died every, single day in 2017 resulting in over 295,000 deaths in a year.Furthermore, these deaths? A consequence of preventable causes. These deaths are highly common in countries that suffer from lack of medical care and access to affordable treatment - with India leading these numbers.

Since then, India has recognised and implemented National Safe Motherhood Day, on April 11th, in regards to the death of Kasturba Gandhi, a political activist in India.

Medical care for pregnant women was prioritised during this global pandemic and exceptional aid was provided to them prior to, during and after giving birth. These treatment procedures included any and all sorts of medical attention required including mental, postnatal and newborn care. However, the world has come a long way from losing the lives of these innocent, faultless women, including various medical advances that guarantee further security and safety for those who undergo such excruciating pain.

Multiple countries are working towards an increased establishment of skilled birth attendants - these people aid those undergoing labour in low-income countries. Various medical trials concluded that the assistance of a ‘skilled birth attendant’ helped reduce fetal and neonatal mortality rates.

‘Between 2000-2017, the maternal mortality rate dropped by 38% worldwide’.

Let’s work towards a world without maternal deaths. A world where no woman needs to suffer the consequences of inadequate medical maternal support. A world where they get the chance to hold their radiant child in their fatigued arms and softly smile at them with glimmering eyes.

Let’s aim for this world.

• Veda Varma (10A)