SUJAWAL - Birth-related complications, lack of awareness, and poverty have claimed the life of another young girl near Jati Town in Sujawal district. This correspondent learned on Sunday morning that 20-year-old Husna died of multiple health complications after giving birth to a stillborn baby a week ago.
The number of mothers dying from birth-related complications is soaring in remote areas of Sujawal district, with no accurate data available from the department of population welfare. Husna was among those ill-fated girls who were married during their teenage years and died of birth-related complications.
Husna’s parents disclosed her ordeal and the issues she faced before her death. Her mother said that Husna was diagnosed with Hepatitis-B, but due to financial constraints, they couldn’t afford her treatment. They took her to a local exorcist who claimed to cure her within three days, but her condition worsened. “Finding no other way, we took her to a government hospital in Sujawal, where she gave birth to a six-month stillborn baby,” said Mahi Bachal, Husna’s mother-in-law.
Husna’s first child was also born dead, followed by another baby girl who was born unhealthy but survived. After delivering the baby, Husna’s health deteriorated, and her body started swelling. Doctors made efforts to save her life, but she couldn’t survive. According to the doctors who treated her, Husna died mainly due to postpartum hemorrhage and other complications.
Noted gynecologist Dr Beena Khowaja, who has worked in several hospitals in Sindh, shared her insights on the issue. “Early age marriages are always perilous for both the child and mother. A teenage mother always lacks the capacity to sustain a healthy child in her womb,” she said, adding that subsequent complications prove harmful for both mother and child.
Dr Kousar Karimi mentioned that mothers from urban areas of the province were found to be acutely malnourished, leading to death during pregnancy. “Mothers in underprivileged areas are unaware of antenatal care and postnatal care,” she said.
Women Medical Officer at Civil Hospital Sujawal, Dr Heema, said that UNICEF, in collaboration with concerned departments, is trying to educate mothers. However, due to low literacy rates and lack of cooperation, fruitful results are still awaited.