Improving the health of mother and child around the world: strategies, problems and prospects
Global burden: statistics and trends
The health of the mother and child (ZMR) is a key indicator of the well -being of society. Despite the significant progress, the global burden of maternal and children’s mortality achieved over the past decades remains unacceptably high, especially in countries with a low and medium income (SNSD).
- Maternal mortality: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 800 women daily die from preventive causes associated with pregnancy and childbirth. More than 99% of these deaths occur in the SNSD. The main causes are bleeding, infections, unsafe abortion, eclampsia and complications of childbirth.
- Mortality of newborns: The mortality rate of newborns (death during the first 28 days of life) is a significant part of the common children’s mortality. The main causes include premature birth, complications during childbirth (asphyxia), infections and congenital defects.
- Children’s mortality (up to 5 years): Despite the decline, millions of children are still dying annually until the age of 5 is reaching. Pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and malnutrition remain leading causes.
Factors affecting the ZMR:
ZMR is determined by the complex interaction of biological, socio-economic, cultural and environmental factors.
- Poverty and inequality: Poverty limits access to nutrition, sanitation, education and healthcare, increasing the risk of maternal and children’s mortality. Gender inequality also plays a role, limiting women’s capabilities and access to resources.
- The inaccessibility of quality health services: The insufficient number of qualified medical workers, the lack of necessary equipment and drugs, as well as geographical remoteness from medical institutions are serious obstacles to access to the quality services of ZMR.
- Malnutrition: Insufficient nutrition of mothers and children leads to increased risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, weakens the immune system and increases susceptibility to infections. The deficiency of trace elements, such as iron, iodine and vitamin A, also has serious health consequences.
- Infectious diseases: Infections, such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, increase the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and can also be transmitted from mother to child.
- Unsafe abortion: Illegal and unsafe abortions are a significant cause of maternal mortality and disability.
- Early marriages and birth: Early marriages and childbirth increase the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and also prevent the formation and economic development of girls and women.
- Cultural norms and practices: In some cultures, there are practices that harm the health of mother and child, such as female circumcision, early feeding of hard foods and lack of access to medical services due to gender restrictions.
- Climate changes and environmental pollution: Climate changes and environmental pollution can lead to adverse outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth, such as premature birth, low birth weight and an increased risk of infectious diseases.
Strategies and approaches to improving ZMR:
Improving the ZMR requires a comprehensive and multi -section approach, covering prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
- Strengthening health systems:
- Increased healthcare financing: It is necessary to increase investments in healthcare systems, especially in primary health care in order to provide access to the basic services of the ZMR for everyone.
- Development of personnel resources: It is necessary to increase the quantity and quality of qualified medical workers, especially midwives, nurses and doctors working in rural and remote areas. It is important to provide them with decent wages, training and support.
- Improving healthcare infrastructure: It is necessary to improve the infrastructure of healthcare, including the construction and equipment of medical institutions, ensuring access to clean water, sanitation and electricity.
- Ensuring the availability of drugs and equipment: It is necessary to provide access to the main drugs, vaccines and medical equipment necessary for the provision of quality medical care.
- Information technology implementation: It is necessary to implement information technologies to improve data collection, monitor and evaluation, as well as to provide consultations and training of medical workers.
- Ensuring access to quality ZMR services:
- Antenatal care: Antenatal care (care during pregnancy) allows you to identify and treat pregnancy complications, as well as provide women with information and support to provide healthy pregnancy and childbirth. It is important to provide access to high -quality antenatal care for all pregnant women, especially in rural and remote areas.
- Safe birth: Ensuring safe births under the supervision of a qualified medical worker in a medical institution is critical for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.
- Postpartum care: Postpartum care (care after childbirth) allows you to identify and treat complications after childbirth, as well as provide mothers with information and support for caring for newborn and recovery after childbirth.
- Family planning: Family planning allows women to make conscious decisions about the quantity and time of the birth of children, which helps to improve the health of the mother and child. It is important to provide access to a wide range of contraceptive methods for all women.
- Care for the newborn: The care of the newborn includes heat provision, breastfeeding, prevention and treatment of infections, as well as the identification and treatment of congenital defects.
- Immunization: Immunization (vaccination) is one of the most effective ways to prevent childhood infectious diseases. It is important to ensure high immunization coverage for all children.
- Treatment of childhood diseases: It is necessary to provide access to the quality treatment of childhood diseases, such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria.
- Improvement:
- Increased nutrition awareness: It is necessary to increase the awareness of the importance of proper nutrition for the health of the mother and the child.
- Promotion of breastfeeding: Breastfeeding is the best way to feed newborn and babies. It is necessary to encourage exceptional breastfeeding during the first six months of life and the continuation of breastfeeding up to two years or more.
- Ensuring access to nutrients: It is necessary to provide access to nutrient products, especially for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children.
- The fight against microelements deficiency: It is necessary to deal with a deficiency of trace elements, such as iron, iodine and vitamin A, by enriching food and supplements.
- Prevention and treatment of infections:
- The fight against HIV, malaria and tuberculosis: It is necessary to activate efforts to combat HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, including the prevention of transmission from mother to child.
- Improving sanitation and hygiene: Improving sanitation and hygiene, including access to pure water and toilets, is important for preventing infectious diseases.
- Vaccination: Vaccination against infectious diseases, such as measles, rubella and polio, is important for the protection of children.
- Expanding the rights and capabilities of women:
- Improving access to education: Education is a powerful tool for expanding the rights and capabilities of women and improving their health and well -being.
- Expansion of economic capabilities: The expansion of women’s economic capabilities allows them to make more conscious decisions about their health and their children’s health.
- The fight against gender violence: Gender violence is a serious problem that harms the health and well -being of women and children. It is necessary to deal with gender violence in all its forms.
- Intersectoral cooperation:
- Cooperation between healthcare, education, agriculture and other sectors: Improving the ZMR requires cooperation between different sectors, such as healthcare, education, agriculture and social protection.
- Community participation: The participation of the community is important for ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of ZMR programs. It is necessary to attract communities in planning, implementation and monitoring of ZMR programs.
- Politics and management:
- Development and implementation of the national policy of the ZMR: It is necessary to develop and implement the national policy of the ZMR, based on actual data and taking into account local conditions.
- Strengthening management and coordination: It is necessary to strengthen the management and coordination of ZMR programs at all levels.
- Monitoring and evaluation: It is necessary to carry out regular monitoring and evaluation of ZMR programs to identify the strengths and weaknesses and make the necessary adjustments.
Innovations and technologies:
Innovations and technologies play an increasingly important role in improving the ZMR.
- Mobile technologies (MHealth): Mobile technologies can be used to provide information and education for pregnant women and mothers, to monitor their health, to communicate medical workers with patients and for data collection.
- Telemedicine: Telemedicine can be used to provide consultations and treatment for patients in remote areas, as well as for teaching medical workers.
- Diagnostic tools: The development of new and improved diagnostic tools, such as tests for identifying infections and genetic diseases, can help improve the health of the mother and child.
- Medicines and vaccines: The development of new and improved drugs and vaccines can help prevent and treat diseases that are the main causes of maternal and child mortality.
Problems and challenges:
Despite significant progress, there are a number of problems and challenges that impede the further improvement of the ZMR.
- Inequality: Inequality in access to the services of the ZMR between different groups of the population, such as the urban and rural population, rich and poor, remains a serious problem.
- Financing: Insufficient funding is a serious obstacle to improving the ZMR. It is necessary to increase investments in healthcare systems and ZMR programs.
- Political will: The lack of political will and commitment from governments may impede the implementation of effective ZMR programs.
- Sustainability: It is necessary to ensure the stability of ZMR programs so that the results achieved are preserved in the long run.
- Change climate: Climate change can have a negative effect on ZMR, increasing the risk of malnutrition, infectious diseases and extreme weather phenomena.
- Pandemia: Pandemia, such as Covid-19, can violate the provision of ZMR services and lead to an increase in maternal and children’s mortality.
Future directions:
To further improve the ZMR, it is necessary to focus on the following directions:
- Strengthening primary health care: Primary health care is the basis of the healthcare system and should be strengthened to ensure access to the main services of the ZMR for everyone.
- Strengthening prevention: It is necessary to pay more attention to the prevention of diseases and conditions that are the main causes of maternal and children’s mortality.
- Investments in innovation and technology: It is necessary to invest in innovations and technologies that can help improve ZMR.
- Strengthening intersector cooperation: It is necessary to strengthen intersectoral cooperation to solve social, economic and environmental factors affecting ZMR.
- Expanding the rights and capabilities of women: Expanding the rights and capabilities of women is important for improving their health and their health.
- Strengthening monitoring and assessment: It is necessary to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of ZMR programs to identify the strengths and weaknesses and make the necessary adjustments.
- Adaptation to climate change: It is necessary to adapt ZMR programs to climate change to protect the health of mothers and children from the negative effects of climatic changes.
- Readiness for pandemias: It is necessary to ensure the readiness of healthcare systems for pandemias in order to minimize the negative effects of the pandemic on ZMR.
Improving the health of mother and child around the world is a difficult, but achievable task. The coordinated efforts of governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector are required to achieve this goal. Investing in the health of mothers and children, we invest in the future of mankind.