WAD appeals Govt to ensure medical care to pregnant women amid pandemic
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 04 2020:
Deeply disturbed by the reported deaths of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic and many facing difficulty in accessing medical care, Women Action for Development has appealed State Government and Health Department to ensure mandatory and proper functioning of separate gynaecology wards at district hospitals and health centres.
Stating that pregnant women, especially those in the containment zones are facing difficulties in availing much needed medical attention, the Women Action for Development, in a statement said that the Health Department should take up necessary measures and arrangements to provide medical care to the pregnant women.
Since the hospitals in the State are preoccupied with treatment of COVID patients, the non-COVID patients and pregnant women in particular are facing immense hardship.
While acknowledging the dedication and efforts of the hospitals and staff for treating COVID-19 patients, WAD asserted that the hospitals and staff should also treat and attend to the needs of pregnant women and other non-COVID patients.
If the non-COVID patients are not treated and attended to, then their death rate could be higher than that of the COVID-19 patients.
It also mourned and condoled the demise of Longjam Basanti (34) and Thoudam (O) Malemnganbi, both from Thoubal district who died during childbirth.
There are thousands of women who are pregnant in Manipur, and they are now panic-stricken on whether they would get proper medical attention and facilities while delivering their child or not, said WAD expressing apprehension that maternal deaths may rise in the coming days.
Eight pregnant women in Imphal East are also expecting delivery in a couple of weeks.
There is also a need for dissemination of proper awareness about the safety of delivering children at hospital.
Radios should resume relay of jingles and skits on women's health, added WAD.
To access the medical needs of the pregnant women and give them the needed medical care amid the pandemic, WAD demanded that temporary maternity hospitals and special gynae wards at hospitals be opened and separate doctors and nurses be assigned to attend to delivery of child and non-COVID patients.
Health authorities should identify pregnant women and nursing mothers in every district and provide them proper supplementary nutrition and other health care essentials.
Helpline numbers should be created to handle non-COVID emergency services, especially for pregnant women (delivery of child).
Well equipped ambulances with healthcare teams should be arranged to attend to the emergencies delivery cases and other non-COVID emergencies.
Medical facilities established and implemented by the State Government to treat non-COVID patients during this pandemic should be well informed to the public, said WAD.
It also stressed that pregnant women belonging to poor families are suffering amid the pandemic with little food and medical care.
Due to lack of work amid the pandemic, most of the pregnant women, who are daily wage earners, have no alternate source of income and as such they can no longer afford the medical care and attention they need, said WAD.