Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) General Secretary Dr Samreena Hashmi has urged the government to take immediate and stringent action illegal and unregistered maternity clinics, operational in different parts of the country. Talking to newsmen here on Monday, she said hundreds of Pakistani mothers were losing their lives on almost daily basis, because of being attended by fake and non-qualified professionals.
The trend, Dr Hashmi said, was more common in the urban areas, where many of the women due to their low social and economic status were easily fleeced by non-qualified and unscrupulous women, making false claim of being MBBS doctors.
"It is not only that they are incompetent but little consciousness on their part about prerequisite hygienic practices, while handling delivery put concerned women at severe risks," she said. The PMA General Secretary said application of non-sterilised tools and indifference towards cleanliness besides lack of necessary knowledge towards timely intervention has not only caused avoidable deaths but also permanent disabilities.
"What worsens the situation is the irrational administration of antibiotics that tend to further complicate the case with compromised immunity of pregnant women against infections," said Dr Samreena Hashmi. Answering a question, she said maternal deaths occurred when a woman died of complications which arose because she was either pregnant or had recently given birth.
She clarified that those complications could happen without a warning and can strike any woman at any time. "This makes al the more necessary that a qualified and well experienced healthcare providers is around to attend the situation with maximum chances of mother and her child safety," she said.