Maternal mortality refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of a pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy.
Lack of Resources can Result in Poor Health Outcomes
Maternal mortality is another consequence of the dysfunctional healthcare system in Gambia. Gambia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Gambia ranks number 9 on the list of countries with the highest maternal mortality rates. There are many things that have contributed to the high maternal mortality rate in Gambia and all those things are tied together by one denominator: lack of resources. In a study conducted by researchers at the Farafenni medical research council laboratory in Banjul, the capital of Gambia, they found that lack of transportation is one of the contributing factors to the high maternal mortality rate in Gambia. Lack of transportation is another issue that poverty has targeted in Gambia. Lack of transportation has made it very hard for pregnant women and other Gambians to seek treatment and some end up dying because of it.
Amie Cham’s Story
In 2010, Amie Cham gave birth to one child and doctors at the Sukuta hospital were surprised to learn that she was actually pregnant with twins. The hospital didn’t have the resources to do a C-section, so they told her that she would have to go to a hospital in Banjul to get a C-section for the second child. Because the hospital didn’t have enough nurses, she had to go to the hospital in Banjul alone and had to take a taxi. She ended up dying in the taxi while going to the hospital.
Fatou Fatty’s Story
Fatou Fatty, 29 at the time, was ecstatic when she found out that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy was difficult for her, as it is for many women in Gambia because painkillers and other medications are not easy accessible to many women. In 2011, she gave birth at the Brikama local hospital. In Gambia when you give birth, you can only stay at the hospital for two days because there isn’t enough space to stay longer unless you’re in critical condition. Brikama local hospital. After giving birth, Fatou continually complained about having stomach pain. She went back to the hospital and was given the wrong medication and she died a few days later.
Mbama Care Foundation 