Thousands of Pregnant Women at High Risk in Haiti
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 15 January 2010 — Estimates that there could be as many as 37,000 pregnant women among the 3 million people affected by Haiti’s earthquake have led to an urgent appeal to meet their emergency maternal health needs.
The earthquake has devastated Haiti’s health system and many of the hospitals and clinics in Port–Au-Prince have been damaged. The remaining can barely handle the thousands in need of medical care. The current situation is putting the lives of thousands of women and their infants at risk from complications related to pregnancy and child birth.
To meet the urgent maternal health and other needs of women, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is seeking about $4.6 million as part of the coordinated United Nations Flash Appeal that will be launched today. The funding would supplement the supplies UNFPA is already providing in Haiti and address the specific needs of women, girls and other vulnerable populations for the next six months. The additional funds would enable UNFPA to help:
• Refurbish maternity wards to handle emergency obstetric care and other life-saving health services;
• Deploy skilled health professionals, such as midwives, obstetricians and nurses, to affected areas to provide maternal health and emergency obstetric care;
• Provide emergency safe delivery and reproductive health medicines and supplies to temporary clinics and health facilities being set up;
• Help safeguard the personal hygiene and dignity of women and girls by providing related sanitary supplies;
• Facilitate access of affected populations, especially young people, to psychosocial counselling and other services; and
• Carry out interventions to prevent gender based violence.
For further information, please contact:
In Santo Domingo: Trygve Olfarnes, Tel: +507 301 7362, Satellite:
+ 898 8169 3160 0057 1740, olfarnes@unfpa.org.
In New York: Jessica Malter, Tel: + 1 212 297 5190, malter@unpfa.org
Omar Gharzeddine, Tel: + 1 212 297 5028 gharzeddine@unfpa.org
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What has happened in Haiti is horrible. Thank you for sharing and promoting this very important cause. I read somewhere that Haiti's median age is very young. If vital aid is not provided to help mothers carrying young, the country will be badly impacted. You've done a great deed by sharing this info.
ReplyDeleteNot a person or has destroy Haiti but it was a it was a natural incident.. so world should help them With open hearts.... understand them own brothers and sisters....Jewish Addiction Recovery and Treatment
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time to comment; I'm only trying to shine one tiny spotlight on the great work that others are doing to help with this time of great need.
ReplyDeleteAll my best to you both,
James