CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Maternal and child health is a global priority. It refers to the period in women’s life that involves pregnancy; Child Birth and postnatal care. It is integrally linked to the prenatal care of children. This being the period of gestation and the month after birth. Numerous treaties, initiatives and programmes have been formulated to try and improve the health and well being of pregnant women and children. The latest effort is that of the Millennium Development Goals that aim to inspire countries to drastically reduce maternal and child mortality and address. Specific diseases and relate challenges (United National Millennium Development 2015).
Balliere’s Nurse Dictionary (1995) defines pregnancy as being with child, the condition from conception to the expulsion of the foetus. The normal period is 280 days or 40 weeks. During this period expectant mother care must be more intensified to be able to carry out necessary supervision care and advice to women during pregnancy, labour and post partum – this referred to anti-natal, which should be responsibilities to conduct deliveries and care of the new born and infants. This anti-natal includes preventive measures, early detection of abnormal condition in mother and child, and an advice on execution of emergency measures in the absence of medical help.
According to World Health Organization (WHO 2011), maternal and child health has been described as one of the foremost and the most neglected health problem, and human right abuse in the world, violating the right of about 515,000 women annually (Nyles, 2001). Whatever stage of development a country is, it is essential that the health policy of the country includes activities toward the care of mothers and children, especially during pregnancy and delivery in order to reduce the rate of maternal morbidity and mortality prevalent in women aged 15-49 years and children of all ages (WHO, 2011). The International Federation of Gynecologist and Obstetrician (EGO) define maternal health as one occurring during pregnancy, labour or as a consequence of pregnancy within 42 days after delivery or abortion.
According to United Nation Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA 2010), Nigeria maternal mortality situation has been indicated as one of the highest to the world. The most recent official document indicated a figure of 630 maternal deaths, per 100,000 live birth of 116/100,000 in contrast with developed countries. The health status of mother and children, remain poor in most developing countries. The same is true for South Africa despite its middle income status, local data shows an increase in infant, less than 5 mortality and material health status is also not optimal. South Africa adopted almost all international treaties, initiatives and programs concerted effort must therefore be made to rectify and address the contributing factors to poor maternal and child health care many of these lie outside of the health sectors. The health services have a significant contribution to make and at the very least health intervention with known effectiveness must be implemented in the best possible way. All sectors need to be held accountable for their role in improving maternal and child health (WHO, 2010). In general, health is scarce commodity that everybody strives to posses, it can be influenced by several factors and some of these factors are; Cultural factors which is defined as the way people live. This way of life include arrangement and method of obtaining food from the convenient and method of adapting it. It also includes rules and regulations that cover people’s behavior in a particular society. It also include beliefs, religion, moral behavior and whatever the people concerned have produced using their available resource and knowledge, culture is something that has evolved overtime from 2 people’s experience. Example custom of letting a woman to go back to her paternal home for child birth and remaining there until the baby is wearned. This is common practice in many rural Nigeria (PHCFMOH, 1990). Economic factor that can influence one’s health is his education which leads to enlightenments, educated people are less likely to become controlled by various cultural beliefs, practice and taboos which tends to become detrimental to health, hence the higher educated the population, the higher health status. Poverty and ignorance is a prevalent problem in Nigerian community. Because all the above factors may result to ill health and other conditions like, malnutrition and anemia.