IN any society, family is very important, whether they are a “nuclear” family, or a family made up of different types of members.
We say this considering the fact that in a deteriorating social and economic environment, the family unit is the first to be affected.
The family plays an essential role in fulfilling the emotional and physical needs of individuals, which is required for achieving economic and social development.
Thus the First Lady Esther Lungu’s launch of the Safe Motherhood week today in the Southern Province headquarters Choma, should be hailed considering that it is estimated that more than 38 women die every month during pregnancy and childbirth in Zambia – reflecting a maternal mortality ratio of 483 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Zambia like many other developing nations is obligated to reach the Millennium Development Goal target of at least less than 162 deaths per 100,000 live births.
This is no easy feat and calls for intensified maternal health interventions by all stakeholders.
It is against this background that the First Lady will with other stakeholders be celebrating this year’s annual Safe Motherhood Week, designed to raise awareness on maternal health and promote increased utilisation of health services.
It is also heartening to note that Zambia has continued honouring this ritual that began in 2010 as a concrete manifestation of its commitment to achieving MDG-5 and specifically to operationalise the campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality (CARMMA) in Africa.
In 2010, the Ministry of Health and its partners launched Safe Motherhood Week in 24 initial districts in the country.
In addition to the campaign, we hail organisations like the UNFPA which have been facilitating community outreach services to reach the underserved and hard-to-reach women and girls – including focused antenatal care, family planning, adolescent health, HIV testing and counselling and health promotion activities.
It is the wish of every expecting mother to have a healthy baby and an uncomplicated pregnancy.
However, in developing countries like Zambia, this could be a pipedream as every day, about 1,500 women and adolescent girls die from preventable problems related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Every year, some 10 million women and adolescent girls experience complications during pregnancy, many of which leave them and/or their children with infections and severe disabilities.
It is at such fora as the one the First Lady is launching that expectant mothers and their partners who are HIV-positive or think they may be infected should consult a trained health worker for counselling on reducing the risk of infecting the baby during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, and caring for themselves and their baby.
Fortunately, the Patriotic Front (PF) administration has shown commitment to ensure that every woman has access to quality maternity care, including prenatal and post-natal services; a skilled birth attendant to assist at childbirth; special care and referral services in the event serious problems arise; and maternity protection in the workplace.
Like most governments, the PF has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women by enacting legislation on maternity protection.
These international agreements in defence of women’s rights include a legally binding commitment to provide pregnant women and mothers with health services and protection in the workplace.
Many women, including adolescents, have difficulty accessing quality health care due to poverty, distance, lack of information, inadequate services or cultural practices.
Governments and local authorities, with support from non-governmental and community-based organisations, have a responsibility to address these issues to ensure that women receive the quality health care they need and they and their newborns have a right to receive.
It is this obligation that Ms Lungu is responding to, by highlighting such an important aspect of society’s safe motherhood.  OPINION