Maternal health care is a broad area that handles the health of expectant females, breastfeeding mothers, and infants. The care cuts across the whole spectrum of preconception, family planning, prenatal care, and postnatal care. The objective of maternal healthcare is to avert mortality rates and improve positive health experiences for mothers and infants. As such, maternal care starts after conception and proceeds until the infant’s health is stable and assured. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes motherhood as an emotionally satisfying experience to mothers but acknowledges that a significant percentage of mothers still suffer from challenges related to maternal health ( Saunders et al., 2018) . The challenges have led to calls for interventions in the global management of maternal health. Among the interventions recommended is the implementation of public health law as administrative law. This paper analyses the development of legislation concerning mortality in maternity healthcare in rural areas.
According to Case and Deaton (2017), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) gave an approximation of 289,000 and 295,000 women who died of pregnancy or related issues about childbirth in 2013 and 2017. Causes of these deaths, such as severe bleeding and obstruction, continue to cause a menace despite being preventable through proper interventions. Curbing these mortalities requires skilled health professionals working in a conducive environment with financial support and adequate resources. Therefore, the law should oblige society to provide health support to maternal health care in rural areas. In its legislation, the government requires to implement the law which allows free maternity services. To facilitate this, there should be an establishment of adequate public hospitals offering maternal health services in all rural areas and improved infrastructure for accessibility. The hospitals should also have qualified staff and, most importantly, secure funds to aid expectant females, mothers, and infants.
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There is also a need for the communities to set agendas with objectives to resolve the current problem of high mortality rates during pregnancy- a topic worth remaining on top of the agenda in a global discussion on maternal health. It should be noted that successful gestation and childbirth does not guarantee successful maternal health care. There is a need to increase efforts towards solving of maternal complications arising at later stages after delivery. One way of solving the mortality issue is through interventions that seek to eliminate deaths caused by inappropriate handling of pregnancies in rural setups. Every time an infant is lost through preventable complications, the society losses the life of an individual and wasted resources consumed during prenatal care and delivery (Case & Deaton 2017). Besides, high maternal mortality rates have adverse effects on the wellbeing of children that service delivery process and infancy stage. These children may end up in orphanages or be raised by single parents, which contributes to psychological issues in their teenage or adulthood. There is also an economic perspective in which the deaths disorient family setups, thus causing a deterioration in the socioeconomic status of these families due to lost income and increased responsibilities .
Saunders et al. (2018) address other challenges faced under maternal health by tackling maternal health illnesses, injuries, malnutrition, and poor hygiene. Mothers who go through complications and survive the experience end up related health complications that adversely affect their quality of life. Similarly, some complications end up as injuries for infants and mothers, causing permanent disabilities that affect their lifestyles. Malnutrition and poor hygiene are also prevalent in mothers from low socioeconomic status. These may end up, resulting in deficiency complications and hygiene-related ailments that deteriorate the general health of mothers and infants.
Evidence-based public health can be utilized in solving the maternal mortality where a strong global commitment is utilized in rural areas where the women are at high risk of suffering maternal mortality. To achieve this, there is a need for a comprehensive national effort to help implement the legislation concerning maternal health care in rural areas. Clinical and community-based interventions can be utilized in managing mortality rates (Edmonson et al., 2017).
In conclusion, mothers and infants are one of the most vulnerable populations in the current era. Since the 19th century, a lot of efforts have been put in place to ensure mothers and children receive quality services. The WHO, among other organizations and the legislations of different nations, has tried to stipulate measures to help curb challenges in maternal healthcare. However, there is a need to be more concerned with reducing maternal mortality that is increasing globally. One of the best ways of solving the maternal mortality is through initiating legislation as expounded on in this paper. However, it should also be noted that more concern lies in the implementation of the law due to the political challenges involved.
References
Edmonson, C., McCarthy, C., Trent-Adams, S., McCain, C., & Marshall, J. (2017). Emerging global health issues: A nurse’s role. An online journal of issues in nursing , 22 (1).
Saunders, J. B., Jarlenski, M. P., Levy, R., & Kozhimannil, K. B. (2018). Federal and state policy efforts to address maternal opioid misuse: gaps and challenges. Women's health issues , 28 (2), 130-136.
Case, A., & Deaton, A. (2017). Mortality and morbidity in the 21st century. Brookings papers on economic activity , 2017 (1), 397-476.
