According to a recent publication by the World Health Organization, an average of 300,000 women lose their lives due to pregnancy or childbirth each year.
Besides this, more than 2 million babies die in their first month of life.
Further, more than 2 million are stillborn. Most of these deaths occur in middle to low-income countries and are preventable with medical care.
Why would this happen in 2025, an age of technological medical advancement? Are there no new ideas to ensure the number of preventable diseases is cut to zero?
Despite the technological advancements and revolutions in medicine and other fields, communities still lack access to quality maternal healthcare.
There are few skilled birth attendants and emergency services available. It is worse for most communities in arid and semi-arid regions, whose problems are compounded by the long distances they travel in search of livelihoods.
Therefore, this year’s World Health Day themed, ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures’, focuses on the actions needed to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
Governments need to invest in advanced healthcare systems that prioritise available healthcare services. Besides investing in maternal and newborn services, families in poorly developed regions should be empowered with information about pregnancy and safe delivery services.
There is also a need to address socioeconomic barriers such as poverty and gender inequality that oftentimes push women into delivering in unsafe environments. Strategic communication has a signi cant role to play.
The first critical function should be to create awareness and shape public opinion. Through creative use of data and storytelling, communication can focus on the importance of advanced medical services to everyone.
Clear and strategic communication needs to go further and identify ways of engaging with various communities on maternal health to ensure that no woman dies when giving birth and no newborn is lost to preventable causes.
Every mother deserves to see her children grow, and children deserve to enjoy the company of their mothers.
There must be deliberate efforts made to ensure that the thousands of preventable causes of these deaths are dealt with. A reduction in maternal and newborn deaths can be achieved by timely managing the significant causes of maternal and newborn care services.
For instance, hemorrhage is a leading cause of death in Kenya. Therefore, improving access to emergency obstetric and newborn care will effectively reduce maternal and infant mortality by curtailing these risks.
Communication specialist
