Maternal death rate soars: Dame Carol

PAPUA New Guinea’s high maternal death rates was the centre of a high level roundtable discussion at the parliament yesterday aimed at getting parliamentary hearing on the issue in the near future.
The discussion on safe motherhood was facilitated by the Department of Community Development Minister Dame Carol Kidu and attended by government agencies, health organisation, United Nations agencies and other development partners who gave their views and suggestions on the way forward.
According to Dame Carol, there had been no parliamentary hearing on the issue of maternal and infant mortality rate.
“Every day at the parliament no one has ever asked me a question about our women and children.
“This is a critical issue on nation’s progress on the millennium development goals (MDG).
“It is necessary for the government to take ownership of at the political level.
“We must continue to increase awareness.”
Chairperson for Australian safe motherhood for all alliance Dimity Fifer and chief executive officer for
Australian reproductive health alliance, Mary
Mertin-Ryan, spoke on Australian experience and pledged to support PNG in their campaigns to reduce the number of maternal deaths.
Dame Carol said recommendations from the meeting would help in facilitating a parliamentary hearing and get a reaction from politicians.
“The maternal deaths and child mortality rates have doubled over the last 10 years.
“The statistics have shown that increasing number of mothers was dying unnecessarily and too frequently.
“This is a critical issue that must be addressed immediately,” Dame Carol said.
“An inclusive approach involving a wider sectoral approach at the national and community level is needed to ensure that we successfully reduce the number of maternal deaths.
“To make that change, we need to get political people listening to the people involved,” Dame Carol said.