World Health Day focuses on motherhood
Today Belize joins one hundred and ninety fellow members of the World Health Organization to observe World Health Day. This year’s theme for the occasion is one with which none of us could argue: “Let’s Work Together for Safe Motherhood”. This morning I attended a forum on the subject.
The birth of a newborn baby is a joyous occasion for parents and families. But while many Belizean homes have celebrated childbirth, a large number of others have also suffered the loss of a newborn, the death of the mother or even both. The problem of maternal mortality has been a priority concern of both the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization for a number of years. In February of 1987, the United Nations, at the end of an international conference on safe motherhood called on its one hundred and ninety one member states to improve the health conditions for women in order to effect healthy pregnancy and childbirth. Today as these nations celebrate World Health Day, once again the call is being made to reduce the rate of maternal mortality.
Dr. Amalia Del Reigo, Acting PAHO/WHO Representative, Belize
“World Health Day will provide an excellent opportunity to call the attention of the need for men, women and families to work together to make motherhood safe and healthy. For ten years work has been underway with communities, families and Government to create environments that are conducive to healthy pregnancy and childbirth. Despite the efforts, every minute somewhere in the world a woman dies as a consequence of complications to pregnancy, one hundred women suffer from pregnancy related complications, three hundred women conceive in an unwanted or unplanned child and two hundred women acquire a sexually transmitted disease.”
But the problem has not only been a health issue. In Belize it is reported that 19 percent of women between the ages of fifteen and nineteen have already have had one child, while 7 percent have already had more than one. According to Kathy Esquivel, the President of the National Women’s Commission, while it is important for us to be concerned about safe pregnancy and delivery, it is equally important that once the baby has arrived, the mother is capable of raising the child.
Kathy Esquivel, President, National Women’s Commission
“For myself, I always found that having babies was no problem at all, it’s bringing them up that is so much trouble and I am not saying that that is true for everyone else, but I am saying for a young woman the problem is not necessarily an actually physically having the baby, but being ready to devote the time and attention that is necessary to that baby to bring it to safe adulthood.”
It’s a concern that the newly appointed PAHO and WHO representative to Belize, Doctor Graciela Uriburu says her organization is committed to.
Dr. Graciela Uriburu, PAHO/WHO Representative, Belize
“On this World Health Day, and throughout the year our challenge is to advance safe motherhood. Let us work together to ensure that every woman participates in the planning and decisions that affect her body, her health and her future and that she has access to the necessary services so we can avoid needless risks and ensure that all members of society reap the benefits of safe healthy motherhood.”
There are a number of programs that have been launched in Belize
to promote healthy motherhood. In 1997, the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative was endorsed by Government to encourage breastfeeding by all mothers nationwide.
The W.H.O. is this year celebrating its fiftieth anniversary.
