KWAZULU-Natal Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo has called on society to ensure that girl children have the same access to education that is afforded to boys, as this will make them and their children less likely to die during – or after – giving birth.
“We must educate women. There is an international indicator… a guarantee … that But uneducated mothers, on the other hand, cannot prioritise maternal care, and are at high risk of dying during or after childbirth. This is because due to socio-economic pressures, they do not even have time to prioritise antenatal care. They have other pressures, and information that can help them in terms of preventing maternal and child deaths does not become easily accessible,” he said.
Dhlomo was speaking at Stanger Hospital on 25 December, where he announced that 56 Christmas Day babies (33 boys, and 23 girls) had been born throughout the province by 7am. By midday on Christmas day, the number of babies born in KZN had risen to 64 (36 boys and 28 girls).
Accompanied by the Head: KZN Health, Dr Sifiso Mtshali, Dr Dhlomo handed out gifts and also gave words of encouragement and advice to two mothers, Simangele Makhoba and Nompumelelo Mbokazi, who delivered their Christmas babies at Stanger Hospital.
MEC Dhlomo, however, decried the fact that two of the mothers of the Christmas Day babies are aged just 16 years old. He said that teenaged mothers, by sheer virtue of their age, are neither physiologically nor psychologically ready to bear children. This often leads to serious health complications which may result in the death of the mother, her baby or both.
“We are always concerned when young people fall pregnant at a young age because it is very unsafe. If you’re a young person under the age of 18, and you’re delivering a big baby, which does happen, chances of delivering safely are slim. It actually places the mother’s own life and the baby’s in danger.”
MEC Dhlomo also called on young people to either abstain from sex or use dual protection (a combination of condoms and female contraceptive methods) in order to avoid unplanned or unwanted pregnancies.
He urged healthcare workers to ensure that young people feel welcome to seek assistance from public healthcare facilities.
“Health workers need to understand that if the youth is not treated in a manner that makes them feel welcome to seek health services; they then rely on uninformed advice or the help of their peers – usually with disastrous consequences. We do not want that,” he said.
Dhlomo emphasized the need for all mothers to follow the immunization schedule as set out in the “Road to Health” chart that all new mothers receive from public health facilities. “It’s very important for babies to be immunized, as this gives them protection against many diseases. We must not only celebrate the arrival of these babies, but also ensure that they are nurtured and protected,” he said.
