Pregnancy and childbirth should be a time of joy and celebration, but for many women in disadvantaged areas, it’s a journey filled with risk and uncertainty.
Gauteng-based professional nurse and midwife Bonisile Mahlangu speaks about the maternal health challenges faced and how we can create a healthier future for mothers and their babies.
She explains that the government has taken steps to improve maternal healthcare by establishing obstetric units led by highly trained and specialised midwives and emphasises the significance of these clinics.
“These clinics are headed by highly trained and specialised midwives. This is so that patients in communities like that, who are underprivileged, get the best care. It also bridges the gap of everyone going to the hospital for something that does not necessarily need a hospital.”
Lack of access to maternal healthcare
However, access to maternal healthcare services in these communities faces several barriers. Mahlangu highlights crime as a major challenge.
“Crime in our country is a very, very big challenge. Some clinics can only run during the day because it’s too dangerous for them to run at night,” Mahlangu says.
“Sometimes an ambulance needs to wait by a bridge that is close to a main road and wait for a pregnant woman to meet them there. That becomes a big, big, big challenge because it wastes a lot of time, whereas a person can be met quite sooner and be saved, whether it’s the mother or the child.”
Mahlangu believes more focus should be on education. “Educating our patients or clients about early warning signs is important. If we strengthen that, it makes it easier. You’ll know any changes, whether it’s for the good or for the better. You’ll know when you are healing, but also you’ll know when now there’s something wrong, and you need to come back into the system to be helped.”
She also advocates for the expansion of facilities. “More facilities are needed. If we have strong, well-equipped, well-staffed facilities in communities, then we can definitely win with our maternity mortality rates.”
In this episode, Mahlangu discusses:
- The availability and quality of emergency obstetric care in underprivileged communities.
- Barriers to accessing maternal health services in underprivileged communities.
- How healthcare systems can better address the mental health needs of mothers in these communities.
Listen to the full interview on the Health For Mzansi podcast:
Spotify: Click here to listen on Spotify (all mobile and other devices).
Apple Podcasts: Click here to listen on any Apple device.
ALSO LISTEN TO: Bullied, raped, and HIV+: Natasha’s path to forgiveness
Get the Health For Mzansi newsletter: Your bi-weekly dose of kasi health, wellness and self-care inspiration.
