Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

Marginalized communities within the Lamu archipelago and on the mainland towards Kenya’s border with Somalia suffer from neglect and insecurity. Militants operating in the area and an ongoing military operation have severely impeded their access to health services. Women and adolescent girls, some of whom have been internally displaced, are disproportionately affected. Their mobility is restricted due to a lack of infrastructure, poverty and the threat of violence.

Supply side of the healthcare services for Syrian refugees in Turkey is better than most countries harbouring Syrian refugees; they can utilise public hospitals and migrant clinics free (1). However demand side is still lacking due to not knowing the regulations and lower health literacy in the refugee community. MEDAK's previous work, experiences of the team and our preliminary studies, show that vaccination and prenatal care (Check-up) levels are low.

Inequities in health care system in South Sudan created uncertainties in access and use of health care services for hospital births and positively promoted home births. Lack of available Safe Delivery Kit (SDK) for home births is increasing newborn cord infections and deaths in the early days of life. Despite WHO recommendations of use of chlorohexidine (CHX) in home births where mortality is high, CHX for cord care has not been introduced and no intervention has been carried out in South Sudan

In Argentina, about 15% of all births are to adolescents, with rates approaching 25% of births in some areas(1). The provinces with the highest rates of adolescent birth also have the largest proportions of families with unsatisfied basic needs and mothers who have not completed primary school(2), indicating that early childbearing primarily afflicts adolescents living in situations of extreme precarity. In these regions, quality information about sexual and reproductive health is hard to find.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) complicates pregnancies of up to 1,080,000 women each year in India. The heart problems that pregnant women may experience include valve disease, abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, and peripartum cardiomyopathy (a form of heart failure). Heart disease during pregnancy can cause abortion, growth retardation in the womb, stillbirth and premature labor. Women in remote and rural areas do not have access to early detection of CVD and high quality management.

Young people are most at risk of experiencing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues.In Kenya,1/3 of under 15yrs have had sexual intercourse,with a teen pregnancy rate of 18%.The use of contraceptive is low; 52% of unmarried females report lack of access to family planning.Study on unsafe abortion indicates that girls aged 10-19yrs account for 17% of women who sought post abortion care in public facilities, and that 74% of the moderate of severe complications cases were among this group

Due to ongoing conflict many basic resources such as transportation & clean water are scarce for most women in marginalized communities throughout Palestine. Thus creating waves of bad feminine hygiene practices which harm women and their reproductive health. 75% of women get a yeast infection at least once in their lifetime. Most doctors fail to distinguish between yeast & bacterial infections. We will distribute a take home vaginal health test which detects & identifies form of infection

Poor access to maternal care services is a known determinant for low rates of facility births and adverse maternal outcomes. In Zimbabwe, 73% of maternal deaths are attributed to delays in accessing care (1), resulting from long distances and travel times to health facilities, limited transport options and lack of transport funds for maternal care. Roads become dysfunctional during the wet season due to precipitation and floods, leaving many pregnant women vulnerable to poor maternal outcomes.

Obstructed labour is a major cause of mortality in Uganda causing 26% according to UDHS 2016 report. It caused maternal and fetal complications the most devastating include uterine rupture 41.5%, sepsis 38.3% and birth asphyxia most of these occur in areas that lack basic health infrastructure like refugees camps, villages and slums. Labour in these areas is first attended to by unskilled Village birth attendants who can’t detect complications by physical examination.

Each year approximately 10 million babies do not breathe immediately at birth, of which about 6 million require basic neonatal resuscitation (1). It is estimated that there are 904,000 intrapartum-related neonatal deaths each year (2). The vast majority of these deaths occur in low-income settings, where health system capacity to provide neonatal resuscitation is inadequate (3). Delays to establish ventilation in a non-breathing newborn contribute to this mortality and morbidity.