this bbc feature looks at the appalling state of obstetric services in the subcontinent. it is quite shocking that india continues to lag behind many poor african, central and south american nations in maternal and neonatal mortality despite its much vaunted 10% per annum economic growth and aspirations of super-power status. afghanistan and nepal are desperately poor countries which have been ravaged by armed conflicts and power struggles recently and as is usual in these situations, women and children suffer first and longest. also note that sri lanka is missing from these statistics- despite civil war and other hindrances, sri lanka has always had better health and social outcomes than its neighbours.
of course, some of the blame can be attributed to silly superstitions, a topic i wrote about last year. but most of the preventable maternal mortality can be squarely attributed to the fact that basic pre- and peri-natal care is financially and physically out of reach of the vast majority of rural indian women. it is a deplorable situation, especially if you go to a city like bangalore; to cater for the burgeoning, newly successful IT class, the city is increasingly being cluttered with western style malls stocking the most exclusive fashion labels, trendy bars, nightclubs and premium car dealerships. drive 100km out of the city in any direction and you find yourself in rural india, where mothers and babies dying because of lack of simple obstetric services is just day-to-day life....
No comments:
Post a Comment