SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
infant health
Witnessing the Resilience of Mothers in Southern Bangladesh
As we celebrate Mother's Day, let us recognize the importance of accessible maternal health services for regions in crisis and the significant role that maternal healthcare plays in driving sustainable socioeconomic development.
May 14, 2023
As we celebrate Mother's Day, I am inspired by the incredible strength and resilience of mothers worldwide. But as an obstetrician-gynecologist who has treated patients in crisis regions around the world, I am reminded of the countless mothers globally who struggle to keep their children healthy and safe, often in the face of insurmountable obstacles. Through my travels, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences that can result when women do not have access to the basic maternal health services they need. The consequences of inadequate maternal health services are heartbreaking, from preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth to the devastating loss of a child.
It is because of this preventable heartbreak that I decided to travel last fall to southern Bangladesh with MedGlobal, an organization that has established a maternity and birth center in Somitipara, a neighborhood in Cox's Bazar where the maternal mortality rate is 44% higher than the national average. I saw the immense challenges that Bangladeshi and Rohingya refugee mothers face daily, from lack of access to clean water and adequate nutrition to the trauma of being displaced from their homes and communities. It was both painful and inspiring to see the strength and resilience of these mothers as they fought to give their children a better life.
During my mission to Cox's Bazar, I was grateful to train two groups of local doctors and midwives using standard curriculum designed to strengthen their clinical skills and improve maternal mortality and morbidity. I witnessed the incredible need for this work, providing prenatal and obstetrical services to women who would otherwise deliver unattended without any services or safety net. Prior to arriving, I understood the importance of having more practitioners trained in lifesaving obstetrics in order to care for the high volume of refugees and internally displaced persons, and it was a blessing to witness the high-quality, empathetic care these women received at the clinic and its Mother's Club—which educates expectant mothers on sexual and reproductive health.
As a mother, I cannot imagine the pain and suffering these women endure when they cannot provide for their children's basic needs. But I am also inspired by their strength and courage in the face of adversity, and I am more committed than ever to working towards a future where every mother and child has access to the care and resources they need to thrive.
It is up to all of us to work towards a world where every mother and every child not only survives but can live a healthy and fulfilling life.
According to a recent report by the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group, there were at least 3,700 maternal deaths in Bangladesh in 2020. Despite significant efforts to reduce under-five mortality rates and maternal mortality ratios in Bangladesh, considerable challenges remain: Half of all maternal deaths are caused by preventable conditions like hemorrhage, infection, high blood pressure, delivery complications, and unsafe abortion. Extremely young mothers are particularly vulnerable to complications such as obstetric fistula. Tragically, 14 newborns die every hour in Bangladesh, many occurring at home and without medical intervention.
Only 41% of the demand for maternal healthcare professionals is currently being met; access to skilled birth attendants and maternal care is limited in many parts of the country, with almost half of all births taking place at home without the help of professionals. Additionally, the lack of preparedness and availability of primary care, including union health and family welfare centers, has left thousands of mothers in rural and hard-to-reach areas without access to standard delivery care.
The situation is even more dire for Rohingya refugees, who have fled violence and persecution in Myanmar and are now living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Many of these women have experienced traumatic events, including sexual violence, and desperately need maternal health services.
Ensuring access to maternal health services in Bangladesh is crucial for the immediate well-being of mothers and their children but also for the long-term prospects of the entire country. When mothers die, families are left without their primary caregiver, and children are deprived of the nurturing and guidance they need to grow and thrive. This can have a profound impact on the social and economic development of the entire community. Research has shown that investing in maternal health can have a multiplier effect, leading to improved education, greater economic opportunities, and a more prosperous and stable society.
While at the center, I had the privilege of meeting several mothers and their babies. It was heartwarming to see the joy on their faces as they held their newborns and gut-wrenching to realize the alternative had they not received adequate healthcare. It is important to recognize that the situation in Bangladesh is not unique. Around the world, millions of women do not have access to the essential maternal health services that can make all the difference between life and death for them and their babies. This is particularly true for refugees and vulnerable populations, who often face additional barriers to accessing healthcare.
As we celebrate Mother's Day, let us remember the strength and resilience of mothers around the world and recognize the importance of accessible maternal health services for regions in crisis and the significant role that maternal healthcare plays in driving sustainable economic and social growth. It is up to all of us to work towards a world where every mother and every child not only survives but can live a healthy and fulfilling life.
Keep ReadingShow Less
As Paper Shows Benefits of Expanded Child Tax Credit, Sinema Challenger Gallego Says 'Bring It Back'
A Georgetown University economist tied pandemic stimulus and expanded child tax credit payments to reduced low birth weights, fewer preterm births, and higher Apgar scores.
Apr 15, 2023
"Bring it back."
That's what Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)—who is running to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in 2024—said Friday in response to new research highlighting some benefits of the expanded child tax credit (CTC) of 2021.
Krista Ruffini, an economist and assistant professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, shared a working paper about how Covid-19 pandemic stimulus and expanded CTC payments impacted infant health on the open access research platform SSRN.
After three rounds of stimulus checks throughout the first year of the pandemic, households with children received $250-$300 per child each month for the last six months of 2021 through the CTC expansion included in the American Rescue Plan relief package.
Ruffini found that "increased resources during pregnancy improve child well-being, and that unconditional cash transfers have large effects on infant health." Specifically, she connected an additional $1,000 with "increasing Apgar scores 0.02 points, reducing very low birth weight by at least 0.6 percentage points, and reducing preterm births by approximately 3 percentage points."
\u201cPayments were super important for infant health and broad across the popn: less low birthweight, fewer pre-term births, higher Apgar scores 2/4\u201d— Krista Ruffini (@Krista Ruffini) 1681498682
"Payment timing is also important: Resources received during the final months of a pregnancy yield a greater health benefit than those received earlier on," the economist explained. "Patterns in prenatal care and maternal health suggest that these benefits to infants accrue through both investments in children as well as improvements in the prenatal environment."
"The improvements in infant health documented in this paper are consistent with previous work showing that families used the payments on essential goods and services and to improve their financial position. It builds on this literature by showing that these improvements in material hardship benefited the next generation in ways that are expected to yield long-term benefits," she wrote. "These findings are particularly relevant as dozens of U.S. cities are piloting guaranteed income programs and policymakers contemplate a permanent expansion of the federal child tax credit."
\u201cWhy? Families spent $ on essentials and paid down debt, + less maternal smoking, more prenatal care. Altogether, consistent w large body of work showing importance of resources on infant & child health. 4/4\u201d— Krista Ruffini (@Krista Ruffini) 1681498682
Despite the well-documented benefits of the boosted CTC, including a dramatic drop in child poverty, congressional Democrats' efforts to lengthen the period of the program or even make it permanent have been unsuccessful.
After long joining with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to thwart various priorities of Democratic lawmakers and President Joe Biden, Sinema formally ditched the party in December and became an Independent. Although Sinema has not officially announced whether she will seek reelection next year, Gallego's campaign has gained national attention since launching in late January.
Throughout his campaign, Gallego has shared his experience growing up poor, as one of four children being raised by a single mother, and accused Sinema of fighting "for the interests of Big Pharma and Wall Street at our expense."
As Gallego's campaign said Friday:
Sen. Sinema helped block the expanded child tax credit from being included in the Inflation Reduction Act—essentially giving a thumbs up to 3.7 million children living in poverty. While, simultaneously, she fought to protect the carried interest tax loophole—a favorite of her hedge fund donors.
Growing up as the child of a poor, single mother, Ruben understands what the child tax credit means for millions of hard-working Americans and their children. That is why he has always been and remains a firm and vocal supporter of the child tax credit—because working families deserve to make ends meet and no child should ever have to worry about where their next meal will come from. In the Senate, Ruben will always fight for working people—because that's who he is and where he comes from.
While Sinema weighs whether to run for Senate again, her campaign filings for the first quarter of this year revealed Friday that she only raised $2.1 million, compared with Gallego's $3.7 million since launching his campaign.
Sinema "brought in funds from several prominent Republican donors and Wall Street sources. She raised more than $280,000 from employees of Blackstone, the private investment company, and $196,000 from employees of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm," Politico reported. "Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci also gave her campaign the maximum $3,300, while the No Labels Problem Solvers PAC gave $10,000."
\u201cThe top 1, 2, and 3 private equity firms in the world also happen to be Kyrsten Sinema's three largest contributors. What a coincidence! \n\nBlackstone: $286,850 \nThe Carlyle Group: $196,400\nKKR: $53,700 \n\nAnd that's just for the first quarter of the year.\u201d— Replace Sinema (@Replace Sinema) 1681517340
Gallego's campaign highlighted that less than $6,000 of Sinema's funds for January through March came from small-dollar donors, while 98% of those who have given to his campaign are small-dollar donors.
"I'm proud to be running a people-powered campaign where 98% of my donors are small-dollar donors who chipped in less than $100," Gallego said. " It's unfortunate that Sinema has pursued a different strategy: catering to a small group of rich donors."
"It doesn't seem to be getting her very far," he added. "At the end of the day: this seat is not going to be bought by a few rich guys on Wall Street. It's going to be won with the support of regular, everyday Arizonans—and I'm proud to have them in my corner."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular