-At major referral hospitals 

BY: Shallon S. Gonlor

NIMBA COUNTY — Many pregnant women are said to be confronted with several challenges including poor maternal health services during the maternal period at major strategic referral hospitals in the county. 

Poor maternal health services continue to rob women mostly youngsters whose productive power would contribute to setting the country on a trajectory towards marked political and socioeconomic development, calling on Liberia President, Joseph N. Boakai’s administration to swiftly intervene in the health sector.

The George Way Harley Hospital in Sanniquellie, Nimba County is among several other referral hospitals in the county where pregnant women attending maternal health are reported to be confronted with numerous challenges; resulting in many lives being lost during childbirth. 

Speaking to this paper, WomenVoices, husbands and family members who flag out the devastating conditions said several lives of women including their wives, children, and daughters have died from complications during and after pregnancy or childbirth. Sadly, most of these complications are treatable or preventable.

The problem, though not unique to women, should be tackled decisively. Available statistics are worrying as one incident after another causes untold sorrow to families.

Maternal health remains a global priority concern. Desirable outcomes are only possible when there is seamless delivery.

Accordingly, women die every minute during pregnancy or childbirth, and the deaths are concentrated in poor countries like Liberia and those mired in conflicts.

Saye Nyanquoi, 32, a husband of a 30-year-old pregnant woman explained to our correspondent that he had brought his pregnant wife for maternal health and treatment at the government-only referral hospital in Sanniquellie till birth, but the facility is not conducive, lacks proper medication, something which he said has caused him too much expensive to save his wife and unborn child lives.

Saye, for his part, has made massive progress in ensuring that his wife gives birth in the health facility. However, failures in the maternity wards, some of which are caused by staff.

Beyond the need to ensure all deliveries are facility-based, Liberia has to go one step further in achieving the highest quality of care during childbirth. 

Across the counties, many referral hospitals are ill-equipped to satisfactorily handle women during emergencies due to complications during labor and delivery. Because of this, pregnancy and childbirth have become a high-risk affair, and getting out of maternity wards safe and sound is a miracle. 

Notably, pregnant women hold a special place in society as bearers of future generations. This role is fundamental to life and underscores their sacred space of womanhood.

That being so, Saye Nyanquoi and other family members cannot afford to continue losing lives unnecessarily, appealing to the government, other philanthropists, and kindhearted individuals to aid major referral health facilities in the county, especially maternal wards with the needed basics of maternal and child health right.

They lamented that resource constraint is a glaring problem at health facilities, especially those run by the government, stating that private maternity wards are no different, which they too are fraught with avoidable dangers.

These facilities run the risk of experiencing a declining demand for delivery services and that would push many expectant mothers back to the traditional birth attendants, and the aftermath is always devastating.

Recommending further, the women said the national government led by President Boakai should deploy adequate equipment and qualified personnel as the basis for enhanced quality of care, capacity building of healthcare professionals is another major path to promoting care quality. 

Other pregnant women admitted to the hospital’s maternal wards contended further that some deaths or scarring harm are due to negligence, and occur when a medical practitioner mismatches his or her actions with acceptable standards of care.

Further speaking, the women alleged obstetric violence against them, which they claimed can deny them treatment, disregard for pain or needs, physical violence, invasive acts, forced intervention, verbal humiliations, dehumanizing treatment, or unneeded prescription of medication respectively.

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