A midwife in Behara, Androy Madagascar, identified as Jeanne Bernadine Rasoanirina has decried the challenges of reaching poor women in rural areas.
During an interview with UN newsman, Jeanne revealed that women in Androy are ashamed to receive medical assistance during child birth.
“This is a very poor rural area, and many women are too ashamed to come to the health centre to have their babies delivered because they don’t even have the money for transport or to buy clean cloth in which to wrap their newborn. They don’t want other people to know they are poor”, she told UN news.
She added, “Even though I have done this job for 19 years, it still really saddens me when women arrive who don’t have the means to look after themselves.
“They may be wearing dirty clothes, which is a sign of poverty, but also a lack of knowledge or respect for cleanliness.
“In the last week, I have delivered three babies and over the past month, I attended over 330 antenatal and postnatal consultations, so there is definitely a demand for services.”
She noted that more women should be encouraged to visit the health centre so as to get the required health care they need.
Furthermore, Jeanne explained that there are still many cultural barriers to safe childbirth in the south of Madagascar.
“Children are considered a sign of wealth, even if families don’t have the means to look after them properly, so it is common to have many children, sometimes as many as 10.
“Polygamy is also practiced, and some men have up to five wives and want to have children with all of them.
“We provide information here and offer training about these issues, but we must always be sensitive about the local culture”, she concluded.
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