Ten thousand pregnant women in Port-au-Prince require medical attention

posted on: Jan 22 2010 11:59 by The Reporter. Viewed 699 times.


Some 10,000 pregnant women out of a total of 63,000 in Port-au-Prince, need medical care for complications in their pregnancy, reports the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The organization, says that before the earthquake, Haiti was already the most dangerous place in the Western Hemisphere to become pregnant, because one of every 47 Haitians put their lives at risk in childbirth.

It now says that over the next month there will be 7000 births. An emergency, perhaps less visible but equally deadly, can occur when pregnant women are forced to give birth in unsanitary conditions and without access to medical care.

Giving birth under such conditions can quickly turn deadly if complications such as bleeding, obstructed delivery or high blood pressure occur. Everyday hygiene supplies, including sanitary napkins and soap, are also necessary, but often forgotten in emergencies.

Dr. Alex Lasegue, the Director of Hopitale Generale, said that doctors at his hospital had performed two Caesarean sections and assisted two regular deliveries on a park bench outside the hospital on Saturday.

�The water broke, and we had nowhere else to do the deliveries,� he said.

The UNFPA said in a statement that Haiti has already distributed health packages including drugs that cover female gynecological needs to around 150,000 women, and in the coming days they will be distributing more boxes of diapers, towels and soaps in an attempt to maintain the "dignity" in families.

In addition, the UN organization influenced the need to prevent the possible spread of gender violence in a crisis situation, for which they have established "safe spaces" for women who have been mistreated.

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