What is maternal Health?
Maternal health refers to the health and wellbeing of mothers from pre-
conception (before pregnancy), ante-natal (during pregnancy), intrapartum
(during child birth) and postnatal (after child birth).
Why is maternal health important?
Maternal health is an important public health issue.
Pregnancy is the most critical period where her health and wellbeing of both
the mother and child can be at most risk. It is a period in a woman’s life where
existing health risks can be identified in women and to prevent future health
problems for women and their children.
Improving maternal health has been a major focus of international development and an important public health goal for Sierra Leone.
Despite the progress made in many countries in increasing the availability of maternal health care, the majority of women across Sierra Leone and Africa experience barrier when trying to access the care and support they need.
Motherhood Health Care believes maternal health is vitally important not just for the survival of the fetus and baby but affects children’s chances of survival throughout childhood.
What are the factors that preventing access to maternal health care?
- Lack of access to appropriate health services
- Poor health and nutrition status
- Age (particularly teenage mothers)
- User fees
