The World Health Organization (2019) writes that “every day in 2017, approximately 810 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.”
When it comes to health care, the last thing on anyone’s mind is the costs and consequences incurred by the illnesses in question. Not only are there financial costs to consider, but there are also emotional costs that can become a concern for women. It can be troubling for a woman undergoing any of the leading causes in India, and it’s difficult to imagine how one goes about handling such a situation. The following information discusses the costs and consequences of each leading disease in India.
Postpartum Hemorrhage – Costs: In terms of medication, studies show that administration of “600 mcg oral misoprostol to all women after delivery” would result in more money spent [approximately 1.6 million] as opposed to administering “800 mcg sublingual misoprostol” within an hour after delivery (Plos One, 2016). Consequences: If not treated, the patient can receive a “severe drop in blood pressure,” which can lead to shock and death (Stanford Children’s Health, n.d.).
Maternal Sepsis – Costs: In terms of being the most frequent type of adverse events, this “affects hundreds of millions of patients worldwide every year” (WHO, 2018). Consequences: Death and morbidity, especially in low and middle-income countries (WHO, 2018).
Abortion Complications – Costs: In terms of the service itself, abortion is technically free of charge, but patients may “incur direct costs” including, but not limited to: transportation costs, medication costs, and loss of income (Guttmacher Institute, 2014). Consequences: If procedure is done in a “lower-level facility,” the patient can experience multiple organ failure, and/or die of septic abortion (Guttmacher Institute, 2014).
Pregnancy Hypertension – Costs: In terms of prevention, patients would be sacrificing time to see their health care provider as often as possible, while also getting “frequent blood and urine tests” (Mayo Clinic Staff, n.d.). This can in turn result in high medical costs for office visits and lab results. Consequences: By not taking the necessary measures of prevention, the result could affect the blood flow in the placenta, which in turn, limits the amount of oxygen and nutrients the baby receives. Without a sufficient amount of oxygen and nutrients for the baby, they would be at risk for slow growth, low birth weight, and prematurity for the baby (Mayo Clinic Staff, n.d.).
Directly from the data portal for the WHO, note the differences in [the images below] the maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births, from 2000 – 2017. The graphical representation shows you that the year 2000 was India’s highest maternal mortality ratio, while 2017 was its lowest. *Pending permission of WHO before I release these images.* – Renelyn Cruz
References
Guttmacher Institute. (2014, December). Abortion in India: A literature review. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/abortion-india-lit-review.pdf
Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d.). High blood pressure and pregnancy: Know the facts. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy/art-20046098
Plos One. (2016, October 18). Using misoprostol for primary versus secondar prevention of postpartum Haemorrhage – do costs matter? Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0164718
Stanford Children’s Health. (n.d.). Postpartum Hemorrhage. Retrieved from https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=postpartum-hemorrhage-90-P02486
World Health Organization. (2019, September 19). Maternal mortality. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
World Health Organization. (2017). Maternal, newborn, child & adolescent health: Data portal. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/data/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent/indicator-explorer-new/mca/number-of-maternal-deaths
World Health Organization. (2018, April 19). Sepsis. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sepsis
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