Mother, Not Patient! Why the Campaign?

This campaign is not targeted against any profession but focused on sensitization of various stakeholders through positive communication. We don't believe in coercive tools like legal provisions but have full confidence in good faith seated in the innermost sense of every soul on this planet. We strive to ignite the good faith, globally.

In a study published in February 2019, the scientists at the University of Bristol (UK) concluded that a woman’s attitude during pregnancy could affect her child’s intelligence including the ability to understand mathematics and science. In another study in 2007, Vivette and P.  Sarkar concluded that the high level of stress among expectant mothers during pregnancy could adversely affect the normal development of the child including brain function, behaviour and also the IQ level. Dr. B. Shakuntala Baliga of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) says, “If a woman has negative feelings or depression, that can adversely affect her health, and thereby, affect the well-being of her unborn baby.

There are various researches throughout the world to suggest that positive thinking, positive ambience and positive communication act as a boon for the maternal health and holistic development of the fetus while negative thinking and tension cause adverse effects. Besides, the communities throughout the world have inherited various cultural practices to promote positive thoughts, self-respect and boost the morale of ‘To Be Mothers’ since the day of the ‘good news’ about pregnancy.

However, the gradual deterioration in the ambience of positive thinking caused by urbanization, nuclear families and modern lifestyle are adversely affecting the health and well-being of pregnant women. This coupled with the profiteering among healthcare professionals is leading to an alarming rise in cesarean deliveries which is destroying the health of ‘To Be Mothers’ and future generations.

The first indication of this profiteering mentality starts from the day an expectant mother is registered as a ‘patient’. Addressing a ‘To Be Mother’ as a ‘patient’ and above all treating her like a ‘patient’ every time she visits the maternity healthcare center not only adversely affects her socio-psychological behaviour but shrinks her personality from a jubilant ‘To Be Mother’ to merely a ‘patient’. In the course of time, the relatives also start her treating like a patient and after some time she herself starts behaving like a patient. This socio-psychological pressure forces her to surrender in the hands of greedy healthcare professionals who trap her in the web of profiteering.

The sufferings of the ‘To Be Mothers’ do not end here! In a recent study published on 9th October 2019 the WHO came out with more shocking facts about the sufferings of pregnant women in Asia and Africa. According to the report, the women are often mocked, abused, tortured and even slapped in the delivery room by healthcare professionals during delivery pain. As the relatives, even the husband, are not allowed in the delivery room, they are the lone sufferers and silent bearers of this cruelty and inhuman behaviour. The previous studies suggest mistreatment with ‘To Be Mothers’ in delivery rooms in almost all the developing as well as developed countries. 

This demoralising and inhuman behaviour towards expectant mothers violates the reproductive rights of women. Besides, they are also harmful to their personal health, reproductive health and safe motherhood. Thus posing direct hurdles in achievement of SDG 3.7 (By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes) and SDG 5.6 (Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences), adopted by the United Nations for the year 2030. Besides, they are also impediments in achieving several other targets of SDGs where role women are crucial. This is also in conformity to the definition of reproductive health by World Health Organization (WHO) which says, “Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Reproductive health implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so”.

Vicious Stages of Negativity and Profiteering 

As it is scientifically established that the health and well being of an expectant mother directly affects the holistic development of the fetus and vice-versa, the role of communication, behaviour, and ambience becomes very crucial during pregnancy. The negative communication, demoralising behaviour and ambience cause adverse effects on the health of both the expectant mother and her child. Besides other factors, the practice of registering expectant mothers as 'patients' in the hospitals and calling them as patients every time they visit the hospital could be demoralising for 'To Be Mothers'. This could be explained as under:

   

Global Experience

Expressing serious concerns on alarmingly increasing cesarean deliveries worldwide, the World Health Organization on April 10, 2015, issued a statement - “Since 1985, the international healthcare community has considered the ideal rate for caesarean sections to be between 10-15%. Since then, caesarean sections have become increasingly common in both developed and developing countries". The WHO statement published says that when caesarean section rates rise towards 10% across a population, the number of maternal and newborn deaths decreases. When the rate goes above 10% there is no evidence that mortality rates improve.  In the statement, the WHO prescribed a medical protocol – Robson Classification – for rational cesarean surgeries.

The Louisiana state of the USA is called as ‘Cesarean Capital of the USA’ as 47.3% of deliveries in 2017 were cesarean. In a research by the University of Manitoba, Canada published in a prestigious journal of The Lancet in October 2018, it was revealed that in comparison to the year 2000, the cases of cesarean deliveries were globally increased by double. In 2015, cesarean deliveries were up to 10 times in Latin American and Caribbean regions, where it was used in 44.3% of births, whereas in West and Central African regions, it was used in only 4.1% of births. According to the data, the cesarean cases increased in the USA from 23% in 2000 to 32% in 2015. In the same period, the cesarean deliveries in the United Kingdom increased by 19.7% to 26.2% of births. In the above study of WHO in 2019, it was concluded that among 2,016 women observed, 13% of the cesarean sections and 75% of the surgical cuts to the vagina were performed without consent. Furthermore, in 59% of cases, vaginal examinations were performed without consent. The study also highlighted high rates of cesarean deliveries and vaginal surgical cuts in Nigeria, Myanmar, Ghana, and Guinea.

In a study published in BMC Public Health 2019 based on the analysis of the district-level data, it was concluded that the cesarean cases in private hospitals were three times higher than government hospitals. According to an RTI information provided by the Directorate of Health, the Government of NCT Delhi, the private hospitals in Delhi conducted 65 to 73% cesarean deliveries in 2014-15. As per the data 47 main private hospitals in Delhi conducted an average of 65.5% cesarean deliveries between 2013-15. Even the high-class expectant mothers who got themselves registered from the day of ‘good news’ and continued all the medical prescriptions had to face C-section deliveries. The profiteering of medical professionals seems to be one of the major reasons for this. A Public Interest Litigation (WPC 4678/2016) is also pending in Delhi High Court in this regard.  

The problem is not merely confined to Delhi but cesarean deliveries are alarmingly rising in the maternity centers of the smaller cities and towns to which profit seems to be the primary motive. This is because, in addition to the high fees for surgery and consumables in cesarean cases, the patient (To Be Mother) is admitted for at least one week while in normal delivery she can go home within 24 hours. This is not rocket science to calculate the profit in cesarean deliveries. 

Do profit-minded healthcare professionals torture expectant mothers to force maximum of them for cesarean deliveries? This is a billion-dollar question before the health industry, today. The alarmingly increasing percentage of cesarean deliveries throughout the globe indicates a conspiracy. In cesarean deliveries, the ‘To Be Mothers’ are promised safe and painless delivery under the influence of anesthesia. However, it is now medically established that cesarean deliveries cause permanent health hazards. Therefore, besides immediate financial burden, women are becoming permanent ‘patient’ and falling in the vicious circle of the profit-oriented health industry.

The Path of Happiness

A communication plan could be devised to sensitize various stakeholders - healthcare professionals, family members, colleagues, community, and pregnant women - to minimise tension and increase happiness in the life of pregnant women. This will definitely boost their confidence and have a positive impact on the health of 'To Be Mothers' and the holistic development of the fetus as well. The various stage of positive communication and pleasant ambience could be presented as under: 

How to Achieve It? 

Devdiscourse (Discourse on Development) is of the very strong opinion that like many other problems in the 21^st century, negative communication is the root cause of this tragedy as well. We also firmly believe that the sufferings of the ‘To Be Mothers’ could be minimized and happiness increased in their lives through positive discourse and sensitization of various stakeholders associated with maternal healthcare. There is an urgent need of multi-level sensitization of healthcare professionals, relatives and society at large on how to behave with the ‘To Be Mothers’.In pursuance to its commitment as a global media platform, Devdiscourse in collaboration with the Department of Social Work, Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, a premier woman university in India, launched this global campaign on Tuesday, October 15, 2019. 

The campaign envisions sensitization of various stakeholders associated with maternal healthcare through positive communication aimed at minimising sufferings of ‘To Be Mothers’ mothers and increase happiness in their lives. Therefore, the global communication campaign - Mother, Not Patient! will strive to achieve the four prime objectives:

1. To contribute to the global achievement of SDG 3.7 and SDG 5.6 by 2030.
2. To combat the exploitative communication design of some greedy health professionals meant to demoralize ‘To Be Mothers’ by calling and treating them as patients.
3. To sensitize the healthcare professionals about respectful treatment of ‘To Be Mothers’ and providing them pleasant ambience from the day of her first visit to the maternity healthcare till the safe delivery.
4. To work for overall respectful and pleasant ambience for ‘To Be Mothers’ by sensitizing society at large.

We invite all to join the campaign and be the part of bringing change in the lives of 'To Be Mothers' throughout the globe. Devdiscourse along with its partners will strive to achieve the objectives of the campaign through positive communication and discourse. 

 

Note: Visit Live Discourse for more news, views, and interviews on the global communication campaign - Mother, Not Patient!. Please click to sign the pledge and know more about the campaign.