INDIA / MATERNAL HEALTH

In India's Orissa state, without access to proper healthcare and medical facilities, up to eight mothers die giving birth every day. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:27
• Production Date: 4 June 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: HEALTH SERVICES; MEDICINE; MEDICAL SCIENCES
• Geographic Subject: INDIA
• MAMS Id: U100604f

Description

STORY: INDIA / MATERNAL HEALTH
TRT: 2.27
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH / ORIYYA / NATS

DATELINE: 28 MAY 2010, ORISSA STATE, INDIA

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, pregnant woman walking into a primary health center
2. Various shots, pregnant woman checked by nurse
3. Various shots, coming out of the PHC and getting into a waiting taxi
4. Various shots, woman being treated in a Christian missionary hospital
5. Med shot, a doctor checking a new born baby and his mother
6. Med shot, a mother looking at her child.
7. Pan right, from a window to a woman suffering from Malaria
8. Med shot, mother in law trying to help the mother breast feed
9. Med shot, new born child
10. Med shot, mother with medicines on the bed
11. Various shots, husband paying money to medical attendant for tests like malaria, and haemoglobin
12. Various shots, car going through a rough road and down a broken bridge
13. Various shots, Purna walking with his baby Santosh towards his extended family
14. SOUNDBITE (Oriyya) Purna Majhi, Widower:
” Since their mother is not there, the children are helpless and really feel her absence”
15. Various shots, Dr Jorge Caravotta walking with Purna Majhi and a White Ribbon Alliance worker
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Jorge Caravotta, UNICEF Health Specialist:
“First we need people in the field with compassion, I think that is a key work because working in these conditions in extremely difficult, we need the front line workers, the first army to go and to reach those people, the second thing that we need is transport, referral transport is extremely important. However these roads are extremely difficult to go through, so we need people, we need transport and we need facility, equipped facility otherwise the pregnant woman will be referred from one facility to another facility and it is a never ending process up to the moment she dies.”
17. Wide shot, entrance to a labour room at a district hospital in Nuaparha
18. Various shots, a doctor checking a pregnant woman
19.SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Bajranjan Bali Jagat, Chief District Medical Officer,
” Invariably even the mother is very lean and thin, one or two of the ladies are very Anaemic, they have undergone CS operation but if you see the child, they are all healthy. It is because of the care that has been taken during the time of pregnancy you know, including the iron folic acid supplementation, immunization, regular weight, regular checking of BP, everything, monitoring in a very good sense.”
20. Various shots, Triveni giving birth to a healthy baby boy
21. Med shot, a nurse carrying the new born into a cradle
22. Med shot, happy mother with her baby

Storyline

Her labour well advanced, Triveni arrives at death’s door – with acute complications and dangerously high blood pressure. There’s nothing they can do here. She is referred to a private hospital nearby but she’s sick before she reaches the taxi. It’s a race against time. Two lives hang in the balance. Her family fears the expense of private care but Triveni may not survive the long journey – and added transport costs – to get to a government facility. Here she’s stabilized, and her baby’s fine. Risks remain high though - the strain is taking its toll. Her mother-in-law is a comfort.

Not getting help in time leads to high maternal mortality rate. In this part of India, Orissa state, up to 8 mothers die giving birth every day.

Back at the health centre another young mother battles the common killers here. She cannot lift her baby to breastfeed. Just two hours after her baby was born, she was about to be discharged, but she’s found to be seriously anaemic and suffering from malaria. Without medicine, she could die. There’s no proof they’re poor so her husband must pay for his wife to live.

Money is a killer. This is another – transport or lack of it, means too many mothers die giving birth. In this far flung village, Purna’s wife died tragically because she couldn’t get to a clinic. Since then, baby Santosh, and his brothers are cared for by his sister-in-law who already had a family of her own. Another mouth to feed is a major struggle.

SOUNDBITE (Oriyya) Purna Majhi, Widower
“Since their mother is not there, the children are helpless and really feel her absence.”

Reaching the unreachable means forging firm ties.

SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Jorge Caravotta, UNICEF Health Specialist
“First we need people in the field with compassion, I think that is a key work because working in these conditions in extremely difficult, we need the front line workers, the first army to go and to reach those people, the second thing that we need is transport, referral transport is extremely important. However these roads are extremely difficult to go through, so we need people, we need transport and we need facility, equipped facility otherwise the pregnant woman will be referred from one facility to another facility and it is a never ending process up to the moment she dies.”

After an agonising birth, Triveni has conquered complications and costs - paid this time by a donation. A healthy baby boy brings delight to all and Triveni joins the ranks of the millions of heroes who battle against the odds to bring a new life into the world.