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Rwanda: Painless Birth But Only For 'The Rich'
Nation, 24 September 2020
Pregnant women in Rwanda can now have epidural painless and normal (vaginal) delivery without going through a surgical procedure. Read more »
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Liberia: Why Rwanda, Ethiopia, Senegal and Liberia Are Ideal Birthplaces
East African, 23 September 2020
Bill Gates, co-founder of tech giant Microsoft, philanthropist, and one of the world's richest men scares some people, especially those on the extreme political right. Read more »
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Gambia: Gambians to Protest Against Rising Maternal Deaths
The Point, 23 September 2020
Having registered series of maternal deaths in The Gambia, a group of concern Gambians called Mbama Care Foundation in partnership with Gambian Women's Lives Matter will hold a… Read more »
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Malawi: Lilongwe's Online Health Service Helping Expectant Mothers for Home-Based Care Practices
Nyasa Times, 17 September 2020
Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda expressed her satisfaction with the progress of Chipatala Cha Pa Foni (online health service) in Lilongwe, saying the project is… Read more »
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Malawi: Unsafe Abortion Is Hurting Malawi Women
Nyasa Times, 15 September 2020
State House confirmed on Monday that the Termination of Pregnancy Bill will be tabled in the current sitting of Parliament. As expected, voices against this bill are already… Read more »
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Tanzania: Why Candidates Must State Plans to Reduce Infant, Maternal Mortality Rates
Daily News, 16 September 2020
ASHA Ibrahim, a form four student, preparing for this year's national examinations gave birth to baby boy in toilet at home. The baby is doing well although she was delivered at… Read more »
Here are The Ideal African Countries to Give Birth In
After the genocide in 1994, Rwanda now has its act together and reduced deaths among under five-year-old children by 67%. After two civil wars and an Ebola epidemic, nearly 70% of Liberia's rural residents have access to care, the proportion of women giving birth with skilled assistance has shot from 55% to 90%. Senegal halved its rate of child stunting from 34% to 17% - far more than expected based on its economic growth. In 1992, Ethiopia was one of the world's poorest countries. By 2016 its stunting rate had fallen from 67% to 38%. Its agricultural productivity also more than doubled, primary school enrolments quadrupled, immunisation rates more than doubled and open defecation fell by more than 50%, writes Charles Onyango-Obbo for The East African.
InFocus
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The government has an obligation to ensure that no woman should die due to pregnancy-related causes, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Matthews Ngwale has said. Ngwale says that while neighbouring countries have drastically reduced maternal deaths, Malawi still lags behind with 439 out of every 100,000 women dying due to pregnancy-related factors. He also noted that one of the leading causes of maternal mortality is unsafe abortion, which is governed by an almost 100-year-old
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President Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed a law making it illegal for schools to expel pupils who are pregnant, a measure women's rights campaigners said would help tackle gender inequality in the classroom and stop many girls from dropping out of school. Prior to the amendments of the law, school authorities could expel a girl for falling pregnant but spare the boy responsible for the same pregnancy.
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"There is a high burden of reproductive illnesses among Nigerian women but a lot of it hidden because of an unspoken rule of silence.", writes Oludoyinmola Omobolade Ojifinni for The Conversation Africa. "Women should be encouraged to go to clinics for routine checkups even when they're in good health. Routine health checks aren't a widespread practice ... while some people believe they have no need for such
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Women are reportedly afraid to go to hospitals for fear of contracting the novel coronavirus, children are no longer vaccinated because rumours say that the vaccine would be tested in Africa, and as hospitals limit the number of hospital visits per day, pregnant women are failing to gain access to primary health care. There are calls for hospitals to be better equipped for reproductive health needs, especially with regards to contraception, says Senegalese activist
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At the culmination of World Breastfeeding Week, two women - both mothers - who are fierce advocates for saving the lives of women and children say that without better care and more equality for women and girls, there will be no lasting economic development - and the battle to contain Covid-19 will falter. Dr. Senait Fisseha says condemning women and girls to die from lack of access to family planning services is a "crime against humanity". Toyin Ojora Saraki says that without more access
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