International reporting
Afghanistan: maternal mortality on the rise
Audio 02:34
A woman looks out of the window of Malalai Maternity Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021 (Illustrative image).
© AP - Petros Giannakouris
By: Clea Broadhurst Follow
3 mins
Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, according to United Nations data.
638 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) began supporting 33 major hospitals in different parts of the country last November.
The staff was not paid.
The public health system was practically non-functional.
Report in a maternity hospital in Kabul.
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From our special correspondent in Kabul,
In Malalai's maternity ward, the corridors are always full.
Since last year, the number of patients has doubled, from 5,000 to 11,000 a year.
“
Before, people could afford to go to private hospitals.
Now, because of the economic situation, they have no more income, they come here
, explains Dr Raheem Faizi, the head of the maternity ward.
And then we distribute free food and medicine, and other essentials.
Finally, as we have specialized infrastructures, and now that there is more security in the country, we can transfer patients from different provinces to us.
»
►
To read also: The Afghan health system undermined
The public maternity is financially supported by the ICRC, which allows, among other things, to continue to pay salaries.
Qabila is a midwife, she explains that she can give the necessary vitamins and nutrients to ensure delivery in the best possible conditions:
“
Because of the economic crisis, women do not have enough to eat, they are in physical states that make it difficult for them to give birth to their children alone.
They just don't have enough energy at this point.
»
Parissa is about to give birth.
She already has six children whom she struggles to feed at home.
“
We don't have enough money, I have young children, including a boy.
My husband lost his job and I have five daughters.
They are all so small
, she says.
Before, I could go to the doctor, who told me my blood pressure was low because I wasn't eating enough.
But I have nothing to eat at home.
Not even an egg.
»
►
To read also: Afghanistan: the child nutrition service of a Kandahar hospital overheated
Food prices have
skyrocketed since last year
.
Many families do not have enough to eat.
Zarmina Noori is the head midwife.
She says that women's anxiety is palpable: “
When the baby is born, mothers in difficulty worry about whether they will be able to have enough milk to feed their child.
They ask what they can eat to better feed the baby.
Stress causes them to lose what little milk they may have.
But this poverty is nothing new.
Poverty, war, we don't know peace here.
So how do you have peace of mind
?
»
While the phenomenon is not new to Afghanistan, the economic collapse and international sanctions are felt across the country.
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Afghanistan
Health and medicine
Womens rights
Poverty