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| National |
| White Ribbon Alliance promotes safe motherhood |
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by
George Ntonya, 11 October 2006
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06:02:30
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As Malawi celebrated Mothers Day on Monday, representatives of the White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) for Safe Motherhood from four African countries started their five-day workshop in Lilongwe to discuss ways of reducing maternal deaths which are common in the region.
Secretary for Health and Population Wesley Sangala said when he opened the workshop that it is sad and
painful that in Malawi, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, motherhood comes with an unacceptably high risk of death.
He said the Ministry of Health and Population is concerned with unacceptably high maternal and neonatal
mortality, which is not only a health problem, but also a social problem impacting on national development.
“It is even very disheartening to note that many African women describe motherhood as a journey from which they may never return, meaning dying in childbirth,” said Sangala.
He said for every 100,000 births, there are 984 deaths of Malawian mothers.
“This translates into over 6000 deaths annually. These deaths are preventable,” he said.
He commended the WRA global secretariat in the US for coinciding the workshop, the first of its kind for Malawi, with Mothers Day which was set aside by government to honour mothers for the significant role they play in child bearing.
“I have every hope that this forum will help identify long lasting solutions and not just a painkiller to this persistent headache among health ministries in our countries,” Sangala said.
Theresa Shaver from the WRA global secretariat said she was optimistic national alliances in Africa would help reduce maternal mortality rates in the region.
During the workshop, participants are expected to have an update on key maternal and newborn health interventions, determine focus intervention for White Ribbons National Alliances and appropriate country context for implementation. They are also expected to explore crosscutting regional issues and strengthen regional linkages and networks, among other objectives.
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