Marie Stopes staff pay surprise visit to mothers at hospital

Marie Stopes Lae staff commemorated International Women’s Day at Angau Hospital’s post-natal ward by giving out gifts to mothers.
Eighty toiletry packs were distributed to each mother on Friday to mark the day.
Each pack contained toothpaste, a tooth brush, bath soap, baby diaper and a flower.
Marketing and advocacy officer Kara Jackson said the gesture was basically to appreciate and thank mothers for their efforts in contributing to human development of this nation.
“The event theme, ‘thank you my lady’, implies that we appreciate the efforts and struggles that mothers endure in birth and labour,” he said.
“Not many women in PNG receive this appreciation.
“Most of them are unfortunate.”
The non-government organisation operates with 17 staff that advocates on family planning through delivery channels.
These include outreach clinics to remote areas, in-reach clinics to settlements in Lae, awareness at Marie Stopes Centre Clinic located at 7th Street, and post-natal ward of Angau Hospital.
According to the National Reproductive Policy 2014, maternal mortality in PNG is very high, with 40 per cent of pregnant women estimated to experience pregnancy-related health problems during or after pregnancy and childbirth.
“The 2006 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) shows that more than 70 percent of all maternal deaths are due to the usual major complications: haemorrhage, infection, hypertensive disease of pregnancy, and obstructed labour, with 15 per cent of mothers suffering serious or long-term complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.”
Jackson said out of 100, 000 mothers, 733 of them die every year.
“We, therefore, advocate on family planning to reduce the maternal mortality rate, teenage pregnancy and also reduce the population,” he said.
“We are not only targeting mothers, but we are also targeting the reproductive age of 15 to 49 years old.”