Is the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 Attainable ?

Mwape Musonda

By Mwape Musonda

In the year 2000, leaders from the entire world meet to discuss the challenges they were facing in the respective countries. After identifying the challenges, they formulated the 7 Millennium Development Goals – MDGs. Reducing the then very high maternal mortality rate was made MDG number 5. The leaders pledged to reduce the rate then by three quarters by the year 2015.
Current statistics show that Africa has the highest burden of maternal deaths in the world standing at 56% of the global rate. Further statistics reveal that Africa is home to 10 Countries which hold the world’s highest maternal mortality rates.
As Zambians we should proud that our Country is not in the above group of countries. However we still have very high mortality rates as compared to other countries both in Africa well as the entire worldthathave made more efforts towards attaining MDG – 5.
Our current data set shows that Neonatal Mortality Rate stands at 34 per 1,000 live births, Infant Mortality Rate at 70 per 1,000 live births, Under-5 Mortality Rate at 119 per 1,000 live births and Maternal Mortality Rate which stands at 591 per 100,000 live births.
Further statistics indicate that 45 percent of Children under the age of 5 are stunted and that 28 percentare Underweight. Also that only 47 percent of births are attended by a skilled health worker and that more than 51 percent of the women do not receive any postnatal care.
From the above information it’s clear we are far off from achieving the MDG – 5 despite the various efforts engaged in by both government and many other stakeholders and therefore I would like to discuss a few areas which am convinced would bring about the required change if we concentrated our effort there.
First off, there is need to increase the number of health care facilities as well as skilled personnel especially in rural areas. According to a UNICEF report over 50percent of the population in rural areas have to move a distance of over 5 kilometers for them to access health care. This proportion is inclusive of pregnant women and I strongly feel it bears the largest portion of blame for the soaring maternal mortality as many lives are lost during the treks the women make to the health care facilities. Am alive to the fact that government has embarked on a programme to put up 650 health posts country wide and I therefore earnestly appeal that the programme be hastily implemented so that distance can be removed as factor to high mortality rates.
Let me also make an appeal to the civil society to emulate organisations like PPAZ who are establishing maternity waiting houses in rural areas next to government health posts where pregnant women stay as they wait for their delivery dates. This should this should be commended because it reduces the stress of women traveling to the health Centre’s on their due dates which contributes to maternal mortality.
Another vexing issueis teenage pregnancy which has now become very rampant in our Country. Nearly each and every day we are hearing reports of school girls being impregnated by their peers and adults alike. This is a problem that needs to be resolved using pragmatic methods. Over the years different stakeholders have come up with different solutions but they seem to be not working as the numbers of pregnant girls keep going up.
I would like to suggest that as a country we adopt the firemen like approach when dealing with this issue if we are to succeed.I am appealing to all parents in this country to start engaging their children more on sexuality issues as family forms the most basic and effective source of information for them. I think the issue of sexuality talks between parents and children being a myth should be put to rest for us to win this battle.
If these girls can be given information about the dangers of teenage pregnancy at a tender age the problem can be half solved as it will now be up to them to make the choice.
In conclusion I would like to appreciate the various efforts being put in by various stake holders in the fight to reduce maternal mortality in Zambia. With a little more work we shall indeed manage to achieve MDG-5. God Bless Our Country.
The author is a Humanism activist and ZICA Licentiate Student