African Union Summit addresses maternal health

An investment of $32 billion is needed to cover health interventions that could enable Africa achieve the reduction in maternal deaths and children under five UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The interventions – antenatal care, emergency care at the time of birth, post-natal care, treatment of childhood illness and immunization among others – in the next five years, could save 11 million African women and children.

This could create a near-universal availability of key saving interventions that could bring most African countries in line with UN MDGs 4 and 5, which call for reductions in the number of deaths among children under five by two thirds, and reducing maternal deaths by three-quarters by 2015.

“Africa’s ministers of health need tools to help them make the case for more spending,” said Modou Diagne Fada, Minister of Health of Senegal. “Yet more money and better use of the money is needed to further improve health outcomes of our population, especially that of women and children.”

Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa is the theme of this year’s African Union Summit in Kampala, Uganda.

A woman’s lifetime risk of maternal death is 1 in 8000 in developed countries versus 1 in 75 in developing countries.

In Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania the maternal mortality rate is, respectively, 488, 1300, 435 and 950 per 100,000 live births.

A Caravan now at the AU Summit in Kampala, traveled from Kenya, through Tanzania, and Rwanda creating awareness on the grim state of maternal and child health and development in Africa. It was organized by ABANTU for development in collaboration with the UN Millennium Campaign – Africa regional office, African Women Development and communication Network (FEMNET), and the white Ribbon Alliance for safe motherhood.

The focus on the health of women and children is also gaining impetus beyond Africa. With only five years left to achieve the MDGs, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in April this year announced the development of a Joint Action Plan to intensify the global effort to improve the health of women and children. The Action Plan will be launched at the MDG Review Summit in September.

Mrs. Asha-Rose Migiro, UN Deputy Secretary-General said that the Joint Action Plan relies on collaboration and optimal contributions from all stakeholders. The Joint Action Plan also proposes accountability to ensure that commitments are delivered.

“African leaders have recognized that the health of women and children is essential to the health of a nation, and that investing in women and children’s health makes good economic sense,” says Migiro.

“2010 marks a five-year point to assess our progress and accelerate our efforts toward achieving all of the MDGs. I urge African governments to reaffirm their commitment towards improving the health of women and children.”

Maternal deaths happen for two reasons

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), maternal deaths happen for two reasons: 1) a direct obstetric death which is caused by complication that develop directly as a result of pregnancy, delivery or the postpartum period and 2) an indirect obstetric death, which is due to existing medical conditions that are made worse by delivery or pregnancy.

But the numbers of maternal deaths are either rising or remaining stagnant now because of various factors.

“Women are giving birth when they are either too young or old and sometimes they have too many children and frequently,” said Dr. Angelina Dawa, the development director of ABANTU.

The Countdown to 2015, Decade Report (2000-2010) released at the AU summit found that 49 out of the 68 high burden countries are not on track to meet MDG 4 on child health. Thirty nine of the 49 countries that are not on track to reach MDG 4 are in Sub-Saharan Africa, and that progress has not been sufficient to meet MDG 5, again particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Findings from the Countdown to 2015 report, as well as the Joint Action Plan, point to the need for stronger financial, political and service delivery commitments for the improvement of the health of women and children, particularly in Africa.

Global health alliances and other development partners are aligning their efforts in an unprecedented manner to urge for increased commitments to improve the health of Africa’s women and children.