For decades, Mali had some of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world. There were many factors causing such high mortality rates. Some being the lack of proper nutrition, poor reproductive healthcare, and the lack of routine immunizations. About 1 in 5 children under the age of five died in Mali due Malaria or Pneumonia (both preventable diseases). In 2015, 33% of deaths in the under-5 category were newborns. In the same year, there were 587 maternal deaths (Maternal and Newborn Health Disparities in Mali, 2019).
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| Photo Accessed from: https://worldsbestnews.org/telegram/mali-to-save-women-and-children/ |
However, part of the fund for creating free medical assistance in Mali was to put health workers in every community. By doing this, mothers have access to the many different services they might need. In 2019, it is estimated that child mortality rates will be lowered 95% just by having health workers in Mali communities. The benefits these past four years have come from mothers having free access to prenatal care, immunizations and wellness check-ups. The most exciting news this year was back in February when Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced that they received an extra $120 Million to help reform the countries health care. Mali is a great example of a country wanting to change for it's people and sticking to the plan. They have made so much progress in only four years and I am excited to follow the progress they make in years to come.
Refrences:
file:///C:/Users/18178/Downloads/country%20profile_MLI%20(1).pdf
Mali Is Providing Free Health Care to Pregnant Women and Children Under 5. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/mali-free-healthcare-under-five-maternal-elder/.
Hello Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your last post for the semester. It is great that you have brought focus to the healthcare in this country. People in developing countries like Mali, don't have finical a well developed healthcare system, because of funding. Many of the people affected due to the lack of finical support are women and children. Transportation is a huge problem, because many people can't afford their own car or have enough money for transportation to get to medical facilities. At least the country has began to bring awareness to this problem which has given the Mali government to put in the initiative to find the funding needed to improve health facilities and the amount of those who can receive the help needed to improve their life for the better. Mali considering their people's health important and finding the funding of $120 Million to help reform the countries health care, places the county on a great path of finding a solution to end unnecessary deaths if they have the resources. Great Post.
-Alex H.-G.