Maternal and child health

Improving maternal health and reducing infant mortality were two of the eight commitments made by the State in 2000 in the Declaration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), based on ensuring adequate prenatal, childbirth and postpartum care to preserve the life of the mother-child pair.

The terms expired this year, and the World Health Organization published a report containing a general assessment of the status of the 189 countries (including Colombia) that have committed themselves to improving the quality of life of the world's citizens. Although there has been progress in infant mortality and maternal and child health (the global mortality rate of children under 5 years of age decreased by 51% between 1990 and 2015 and that of maternal mortality by 45%), it will take 10 more years to achieve minimum mortality figures for the world's early childhood. This means that in 2015, 16,000 of the world's youngest children will die from preventable diseases. The commitment of nations should be from the beginning of children's lives, therefore maternal and newborn survival should be a priority in the world's health systems. Premature birth, birth asphyxia, unsanitary spaces and pneumonia must be treated to protect the health of children and mothers.

Maternal and child health: in Colombia

Maternal and child health consists of attending with quality the requirements of the mother-child binomial, diagnosing and treating correctly all the problems that arise during and after pregnancy. It is a responsibility to future generations because from the care of pregnancy and children in their first 1000 days, conditions suitable for a full development will be achieved.

In the study “Follow-up of Cases Exposed to Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Evaluation of the Quality of Prenatal Care” that SINERGIAS carried out, within the framework of technical cooperation agreements with the Ministry of Health and with the technical support of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and OIM (International Organization for Migration), data and proposals emerged to increase the quality of prenatal care in Colombia.

The main challenges facing the country in the area of maternal and child health are to close the gap of regional, ethnic and socioeconomic inequities in the General Health System; health coverage does not reach all rural areas and many of the beneficiaries are unaware of the rights granted to them by the State in its regulatory framework. The information systems that provide an overview of the follow-up of children and mothers with HIV should also be improved, while the health conditions in which women have their children should be improved.

SINERGIAS has a Toolbox to improve the quality of prenatal care, childbirth and the 1000 days of newborns. Providing information to pregnant patients, ensuring an adequate number of consultations and managing the transmission of Hepatitis B, Syphilis and HIV are part of an appropriate treatment for expectant mothers. It is also important to attend the delivery properly and ensure that postpartum care is carried out in a patient-friendly environment.

Maternal and child health also has to do with the follow-up of children in their first 1000 days, monitoring their growth and nutritional situation, evaluating their development and their vaccination schedule will increase their quality of life and prevent diseases that may originate from poor care.

In this sense, maternal and child health is the responsibility of all of us. The State, non-governmental organizations and society as a whole. Therefore, it is important to continue improving the care of mothers and their children, and to include in the national agenda the need to comply with Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. For this purpose, local health entities must be prepared and coverage of this service must be ensured for the entire population, only in this way can we ensure that the mother-child binomial have a dignified care and can be productive subjects for the welfare of Colombia.