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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday June 29, 2007 - 17 Moms facing needless death in Uganda By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Last year, 10 women in Canada died from pregnancy-related complications. In Uganda, 6,000 women died from preventable complications. These statistics reflect the stark disparity that exists between developed and developing countries. Dr. Jean Chamberlain has seen the dying faces of these women and the children orphaned by such needless tragedies. She founded Save the Mothers International, in response, to teach communities there are safe ways to give birth. The obstetrician gynecologist lives in Uganda eight months of the year, and the remaining four months teaches at McMaster University and works at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton as well as running the university's International Women's Health Network. Chamberlain is currently traveling across the country with Ugandan MP Sylvia Ssinabulya to encourage Canadians to become an advocate for these disadvantaged women. The pair recently made a stop at ForestView Church. What rarely occurs in Canada happens all too often in developing countries. From 1980 to 2000 more women died from pregnancy complications than HIV. Also, in the last century more women died from complications of childbirth than people did in the last two world wars. Every year 525,000 moms (100,000 are teens) in poor countries die from preventable complications of pregnancy. That's enough passengers to fill a jumbo jet. "Which is more likely to grab the headline?" asked Chamberlain. Mothers are also being disabled and injured as a result of surmountable delays in giving birth. For every mom who dies, 20 to 30 are injured or disabled. There are three delays that kill moms, said Chamberlain. With little decision-making power, pregnant women are forced to wait for their husband's (or a male relative's) approval to go to hospital for care. Less than 60 per cent of pregnant women even go to a physician to have their children delivered, yet 15 per cent of all deliveries will have complications, said Chamberlain. And half of all moms who give birth have no skilled attendant present. Also contributing to the delays in delivery is poor travel routes and unreliable transit. Thirdly, hospitals in Uganda often run out of vital supplies, blood, oxygen, electricity and medications. That's because the government contributes $5 per capita to healthcare. "Save the Mothers was created out of frustration in being too late to help," said Chamberlain. She is teaching people in health, law, media, education, clergy and social services to be leaders who affect change in these gruesome statistics. Each student in this masters program is required to implement a project or complete research related to decrease maternal mortality. In its first graduating class there are 15 leaders ready to take up the multifaceted challenge of diminishing maternal mortality. A veteran politician, Ssinabulya is one of her students who has recruited three other female MPs for the next session of this two-year program established by Chamberlain. "I'm ashamed my country is one of eight with the highest mom mortality in the world," said Ssinabulya. In caucus she has rallied 38 of 100 female members of parliament to push this issue to the forefront. "Our mission is to build a network of women ministers in parliament whose sole purpose is to get policies changed and introduce legislation," said Ssinabulya. She's buoyed by her government's recently stated commitments to make maternal health a priority. Among many priorities, the group of MPs wants to revitalize family planning, which is important in a country where abortion is illegal and the average family has seven children. Only 23 per cent of women in Uganda use contraception because access is restricted. "We need the same determination and advocacy that went into getting the vote for women and banning smoking from work and public places. Aren't the lives of millions of women worth it?" asked Chamberlain. For information about Save the Mothers, log on to www.savethemothers.org. Once A Year ... Honda races. PURCHASE FINANCING You win. 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