There has been much in the press recently about the pressures on ante-natal departments in the UK with clinics now being held on Sunday afternoons. Yet another consequence of Labour's immigration chaos.
Although Wednesday's bleak Afghan Study Group Report barely mentioned health, it reminded me of the World Bank report from last year on the plight of women in Afghanistan, highlighting in one chapter the terrible maternal mortality rates for women of childbearing age. Only 14% of women have anyone qualified in health with them at childbirth, and in a country where there are 94 women for every 1000 men, the pressure to have babies is immense. Women over the age of 15 are three times more likely to die prematurely than a man, mainly due to preventable complications of childbearing.
While tough decisions lie ahead for us in the UK if we are to tackle our own inequalities and pressures in maternal and child health, we need to remember that our commitment to Afghanistan must include more support for NGOs seeking to provide Afghan women's healthcare.
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