Deliver us from evil!

'No woman should die while giving life'

On the eve of my birthday, the 17^th of May 2013, I attended a funeral and burial at the local cemetery in ‘the Diamond City’, Saurimo in Angola. The ceremony was painful. Anna, a 28 year old woman, full of life and potential died of complications during childbirth. They say that the child was too big for natural delivery thus, she needed a caesarean section. Nurses at the hospital realised this too late. Both her and the baby died.

The anguished cries of her family are still imprinted in my mind. The pain written on their faces can never be described or quantified. No one saw it coming, her death was sudden, a life unexpectedly and ruthlessly cut short. It was a needless death because something could have been done. 

Though I never knew the woman, serve for the fact that she was married to my husband’s friend, my heart bled. In my mind, I kept thinking that it could have been me. Being a woman and a mother myself I kept imagining myself in that coffin, my husband, children, family and friends bidding me farewell, all because of my desire to create a new generation of possible leaders. 

She was carrying the future, a promise, a life. She had hopes, dreams, expectations for her child and herself and I am sure she already had a name for the baby and had bought a room full of clothes and toys. As fate would have it, she died before she could even hold her child in her arms leaving behind her four other children. Tragic! 

While all these images of a young life cut short were playing in my mind, I questioned myself on how such a tragedy could occur in a country endowed with vast diamond and oil reserves. Angola’s petroleum industry pumps around 1.78 million barrels of oil a day, according to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) with Bloomberg reporting that the country’s crude oil constituted 2,6% of United States imports in February and 12% of China’s in March. Moreover, the country is the third largest producer of diamonds in Africa and the world’s fifth biggest exporter of the precious mineral. According to Trading Economics, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Angola expanded 7.40 percent in 2012 from 2011. In 2011 the GDP was pegged at USD104.3 billion. The GDP is the total value of the goods and services produced in a country. It thus represents the growth of the economy. 

The above statistics paint a global picture of just how wealthy the Southern African country is yet the wealth on paper has not translated to accelerated human development. Put plainly, while the country is developing economically and surpassing expectations of analysts, its population is not enjoying the fruits of the land. I mean, how else would you explain the fact that the country is ranked 24^th on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) maternal mortality rate index? How would you explain the fact that of every 100 000 live births, 450 women die? Some people have argued that the ‘human under-development’ is a remnant of the protracted civil war experienced from 1975 to 2002. But my belief is that, Angola, like most African countries has neglected the right to health by paying minimal attention to maternal health issues, compromising the lives of millions of women and neglecting their duty to promote and protect human rights.

'Make every woman and child count'

The 2012 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) progress report states that although maternal deaths have declined and maternal health has improved, progress towards achieving Goal 5 of the MDGs, ‘To Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio’, remains slow particularly in Sub- Saharan Africa. Despite the fact that over the past 23 years, the maternal mortality rate has halved, achieving the 2015 target remains a pipeline dream. The report notes that in Southern Africa alone, for every 100,000 live births, 500 women die. This is an extremely high figure. There are a myriad of reasons for the high maternal mortality rate including, poverty, early pregnancies and HIV and AIDS. However, my belief is that the root cause of the tragic loss of life lies in the failure by governments to prioritise human development and to create a conducive environment for development of health facilities.

Africa turned 50 on the 25^th of May 2013. Achieving the half century mark presents an opportunity for reflection and self- introspection on the progress made in developing the continent and in promoting African renaissance and unity. This analysis should be broader than just economic prowess and should include progress made towards promoting development particularly maternal health. There is need for greater commitment from the Angolan and generally, African governments and channelling of resources towards improving the quality of health for everyone including and particularly women. Given, the Angolan government has made efforts to increase health facilities in the country but without adequate, professional personnel and medicine, the buildings are nothing more than just big white elephants.

I shudder at the thought of waking up someday to a world where women have declared that they will not bear any children until the maternal health system improves. I shudder at the thought of waking up to an aging unproductive population. It is time that governments particularly in Africa appreciate that the survival of womankind is inextricably connected to the survival of the world. Thus, the protection of women through ensuring adequate health services especially during the three stages of pregnancy is key. There is need for the translation of commitments made at regional and international levels into tangible actions. Wealth is not only measured in terms of monetary value but also in terms of how much a country values, protects and provides for its citizenry.