After being caught up through my research on the causes for unnecessary maternal mortality here in Medellin (due to market forces and organization of the health care industry), it is crucial to stick my head above the beautiful Colombian clouds once in a while and learn about the larger international issues impeding pregnant women's access to health care in other countries.
Nicolas Kristof is a very illuminating Op-Ed columnist for the NYT (I might be slightly biased after hearing him speak at a foundation event in Atlanta and admiring his approach to saving Africa), and lately he has been writing a lot on the issue of maternal health care in West Africa. He takes an interesting look at the lack of medical (personnel) resources in rural clinics and how international aid plays into the picture in the article "This Mom Didn't Have to Die." Kristof delves deeper into the issue on his blog On the Ground, responding to the link between maternal mortality and female education and financial situation in the post "A 'P.S.' on Maternal Mortality and Abortion," and also looks at the larger issue of malnutrition affecting women's health in his most recent post "Malnutrition and the Economic Crisis."
I am relieved that in Medellin I have not found patients dying in childbirth on hospital tables, but knowing that there are women in so many other countries who need a voice to represent their need for improved maternal health care overwhelms me with the possibility of a life's work. As Kristof notes, a woman should not die because her life is considered less than that of a man.
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