Media briefing: Respectful maternity care at health facilities sought

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a media briefing here on Monday called for the provision of quality and respectful maternity services, particularly amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The briefing titled “Respectful Maternity Care” was organized by the KP Healthcare Commission and the Research and Development Forum for Safe Motherhood at Peshawar Press Club. Speaking on the occasion, Aasiya Khan, advisor of Public Health Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said that women and their newborns deserve quality maternity care services with dignity and respect, especially in the times of Covid-19.

She said the government was taking all possible measures to ensure quality health services across the provinces. The Health Department has been working closely with all other departments, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Healthcare Commission, to ensure undisrupted health services to mothers and children, she said. “We are trying to ensure female staff for women patients at health facilities. Recently, Maulvi Amir Shah Hospital in Peshawar city has been converted into a maternity hospital,” she added.

Dr Maqsood Ali, chief executive officer of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Care Commission, said that the Commission was committed to improving health services in the province. The Commission, with support of partner organisations, is developing standards for all kinds of health services at health facilities including public and private health facilities.

“Since patient rights are a fundamental feature of the Commission’s charter, these standards aim to safeguard the rights of patients, especially mothers,” he said. He said the Commission has taken an initiative to develop minimum service delivery standards, which will define basic service standards for health services for women and children. Through implementation of these standards, dignity and respect and rights of mothers and children will be safeguarded at the health care facilities. “It is the duty of all of us and journalists to educate the public on the rights of expecting mothers and children. All segment of society should come forward and play their role in safeguarding the rights of women and children,” he said. He stressed the need for a concerted campaign on Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) by involving all stakeholders and engaging the public so that meaningful change can be witnessed in the health system and society at large. “We are devising minimum standards with regard to maternity care and in future, licenses will be issued only those health facilities that fulfil those standards,” he added. To a query, he said that midwives were allowed to perform duties of normal deliveries, but added that a midwife should not act like a doctor and avoid treating diseases and doing ultrasound testing.