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SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND
Investing resources in the health and well-being of women benefits societies in multiple ways. Recent years have witnessed the global development community focused increasingly on advancing women's health. Yet, many challenges — some life threatening — persist. More than 280,000 women died in 2010 during pregnancy and from childbirth complications, according to the United Nations. Many of those deaths and injuries were preventable. Access to quality health care and health education remains crucial. This Forum event featured three unique perspectives — Dean Julio Frenk, who has called for a Women and Health agenda; Professor Ana Langer, who has been a leading researcher and advocate to improve health care for women; and Christy Turlington Burns, who has spurred public interest in preventing maternal deaths through her documentary No Woman, No Cry and her Every Mother Counts advocacy and mobilization campaign.
Background
- Every Mother Counts
- Every Mother Counts
- Save the Date: The London Summit on Family Planning: Where Do We Go from Here?
- Pathfinder International
- Maternal Deaths Continue to Decline but More Progress Needed – UN Report
- United Nations
- The Women and Health Initiative, HSPH
- Harvard School of Public Health
Photo © 2007 Gopal Bhattacharjee
EMAIL RECEIVED FROM ONLINE AUDIENCE MEMBER
I'm quite interested in the nurses who've been trained to provide C-sections (I believe in Nigeria). Is anyone familiar with this innovation and are there any data with regard to its safety and success.
Many thanks,
Dr. Kathleen Ruddy
Founder and President
Breast Health and Healing Foundation
EMAIL RECEIVED FROM ONLINE AUDIENCE MEMBER
How can we do more to educate OB and midwives to help make the pregnancy healthier and breastfeeding the norm. There is so much for them to learn, and nutrition and breastfeeding are a tiny part of their extensive education, but these two pieces are essential.
Michelle Scott, MA, RD/LD, IBCLC, Pediatric Dietitian/Lactation Consultant
EMAIL RECEIVED FROM ONLINE AUDIENCE MEMBER
Would you please address the importance of the nutrition component of maternal and child health care and provide examples of successful implementation of nutrition components?
Janine M. H. Selendy, Chairman, President, and Publisher, Horizon International, Yale University
EMAIL RECEIVED FROM ONLINE AUDIENCE MEMBER
On October 21, 2012, during UN week in New York, the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH) will launch its Global Campaign to Save Mothers' Lives' with an Interfaith Celebration and Worldwide Webcast At 4 PM at St. Bart's Church, Park Avenue, NYC. The Campaign will raise the level of informed concern and personal commitment to deepen public awareness and action to improve Maternal Health MDG #5.
Holly K. Shaw, PhD, RN
Associate Professor
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY 11530
EMAIL RECEIVED FROM ONLINE AUDIENCE MEMBER
Question! Do you agree with the list of 13 essential commodities being focused upon by UN Every Woman Every Child? Which gains in maternal health do you think are the most impressive but least known/publicized?
Meg Wirth, MPA, Founder & CEO
http://maternova.net
In my country, Indonesia, our maternal mortality rate reached the figure 228 per 100,000 life-birth. This figure is under Vietnam. In my opinion, the Government should take it to account to run the priority program that focuses on empowering woman or the family to get access near good health care. We need health promotion to empower them, since they have less information regarding their health in pregnancy. Our health workers (e.g.midwives) have been distributed all over the provinces and subdistricts, but there just seems not enough till all the pregnant women know how important the health care is.
EMAIL RECEIVED FROM ONLINE AUDIENCE MEMBER
My question for the panelists would be, "What are your recommendations for addressing intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion to enhance women's safety and well-being in the context of childbearing?"
Jennifer
EMAIL RECEIVED FROM ONLINE AUDIENCE MEMBER
The right to birth (Life), access to health care and protection, access to and receiving education, are just some of the basic Human Rights. One of the highest responsibilities of a parent is to assure proper conditions to nurture the new born, to be able to offer a home to the child, proper care, proper nutrition, education and love.
In my opinion, way too often, due to lack of education, the parents are the first to breach the unwritten contract as to assure the basic Human Rights to the new born humans.
Mothers’ health care and protection stays at the base of the child’s overall health condition. Also, “preparing for parenthood” (the future mothers as well as the fathers) type education must be provided in tandem with health care in order to efficiently have a synergistic effect upon the fate of the new born, preventing abuses and encouraging birth control and family planning.
Adrian Toader-Williams, PhD,
USA - ROMANIA - Full active member of the
International Academy of Science, Russian Section,
Moscow, Russian Federation