The Plight of Afghanistan's Dying Mothers
by Carol Mann, The Daily Star, Lebanon - Roughly 75 percent of Afghan newborns who die do so because of lack of food, warmth, and care. Unloved little girls fare the worst. In Afghanistan as a whole, a woman dies of pregnancy-related causes every 27 minutes - and perhaps even more frequently, because many such deaths go unrecorded. Many, perhaps most, are under 16 years of age. The Taliban - blamed nowadays for just about all of Afghanistan's ills - have officially been gone for nearly seven years, so why are conditions still so abysmal?
Comments (2)
Things for women are changing in Afghanistan...A recent study by Johns Hopkins University shows that since 2003, infant mortality rates in Afghanistan have declined by 18 percent from 165 to 135 per 1,000. The time frame for these encouraging statistics coincides with the establishment of the CURE hospital. CURE does not claim sole credit for the improvements, but believes its programs have helped to facilitate a more hopeful trend in this country.
In addition, CURE Kabul offers training programs for national medical professionals that educate them in advanced techniques in obstetrics, gynecology, midwifery, as well as orthopedic and cleft lip/palate surgery. Because of its positive impact on health care in Afghanistan, CURE has received numerous accolades for its services from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health.
Posted by Gerrylu | November 10, 2008 2:48 PM
Dire poverty and war. The US could stop at least one of these causes of suffering and chooses not to. As a person who works for the end of the US occupation of this country, I am distressed that Obama promises escalation of the war there.
Clearly, medical efforts like the CURE hospital mentioned above need to be redoubled. Ending the war would facilitate some of the other things needed.
What can we in the US do to make our country stop the aggression?
Posted by Nancy Vining Van Ness | November 10, 2008 5:45 PM