Access to services vital for mothers


Date: January 1, 1970
  • SHARE:

As we observe Mother’s Day this 13 May, it is a time to celebrate motherhood, honour our mothers, and recognise the vital role that they play in society and in all of our lives. Yet when it comes to celebrating and recognising this vital role, we must also give thought to what this means in the current era of HIV/AIDS.

Many women across Africa do not have access to the ante- and post-natal care that would help protect the health of themselves and their children. Both men and women have a critical responsibility to protect mothers and children’s health, especially when it comes to HIV.
 
The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide and that 28 million of these reside in sub-Saharan Africa. There is an increasing recognition that women are most affected, often because of gender inequalities that increase vulnerability. 90% of women living with HIV/AIDS are in their reproductive years.
 
One of the tragic aspects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, when an HIV positive woman passes the virus to her baby. Mother to child transmission is the primary means by which young children become infected, and can occur during pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and after birth through breast-feeding.
 
In the Southern District of Mwanza, local health workers are breaking the gender and cultural misconception that ante-natal services and mother to child prevention of HIV/AIDS is a only a woman’s business. The district health office, with funding from UNICEF, is encouraging more men to patronise reproductive health facilities through a project called Male Championing in Prevention of Transmission from Mother-to-Child Transmission (PTCMT).
 
According to Getrude Nawalo, Senior Nursing Officer at Mwanza District, the result is increasing numbers of pregnant women accessing services and couples going for testing and counselling together.  "Previously women were shunning PMTCT because they were afraid of the reactions from their spouses when they hear that they have tested positive. As a result, a lot of pregnant women wanted consent from their husband to access such services, hence the introduction of the male championing," explained Nawalo.
 
Nawalo added that advocacy and training with males and traditional leaders on the need for male to support PMTCT is vital to encouraging more couples and pregnant mothers to access services. Unfortunately, for most women in Malawi and all over the Southern African Development Community, such access is rare.
 
Despite being largely preventable, mother-to-child transmission of HIV accounts for 30 percent of all new infections in Malawi and is the second major mode of transmission after unprotected sex. Every year, an estimated 30 000 babies are born HIV positive.
In Malawi, over 52 % of the population is women, who are largely rural based. Many pregnant mothers have to travel long distances to access PMTCT services.
 
Malawi has made some positive steps forward when it comes to preventing HIV and care for those affected. More pregnant women are now getting services to prevent them passing HIV to the unborn babies, the number of people living positively with the virus taking the anti retroviral drugs (ARVs) has increased, and more and more counseling and testing centers have been opened throughout the country.
 
However, it is not enough. Out of a population of 12.3 million, almost one million people in Malawi were living with HIV at the end of 2005. Local communities are caring for more orphans. The high prevalence rate among youth is still alarming despite some declining in urban centers. Many people living with HIV continue to lack adequate nutrition. The availability of choices such as female condoms remains a dream to a lot of women, especially commercial sex workers, because of the high cost of the product.
 
Stigma, discrimination and gender inequalities continue to be major roadblocks. Malawi largely depends on donor funding for HIV/AIDS activities. Any achievements can soon be erased if resources are lacking, or problems like the late disbursement of funds by donors occur.
 
The National Aids Commission (NAC) says continuous review of the policies and programmes in place will help to define how to move forward. "Malawi has made a lot of improvement in reducing the impact of the epidemic, but more research and reviews have to be conducted to establish where we are failing and capitalise on the best practices," said Dr, Nicholas Chitimba, Chairperson of the NAC.
 
Chitimba cited problems with tracing new infections in the rural communities and lack of proper coordination between government agencies, non-government organisations, and the private sector, as challenges to providing support to people living with HIV/AIDS.
 
Dr. Justin Malewezi former vice president and Chairperson of the Malawi Partnership Forum on AIDS has been calling for urgent response to the epidemic, “AIDS is an emergency and it requires an emergency response.”
 
So as we celebrate mother’s day, let’s truly honour our mothers by putting their health needs at the forefront of our national discussions about HIV/ AIDS.
 
Daniel Manyowa is a freelance journalist based in Malawi. This article is part of the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service that provides fresh views on everyday news.
 


Comment on Access to services vital for mothers

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *