Sierra Leone damns AI report

  1. Posted on Thursday 1 October 2009 - 17:10
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Mohamed Kamara , AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    The authorities in Sierra Leone have disputed a recent "alarming" report by the right group Amnesty International (AI) on the country's present maternal mortality rate. The report stated that one in every eight pregnant women in the country risk a chance of dying whiles giving birth and that six out of the 13 districts still have no emergency Obstetrical Care facility.
    Irene Khan
    “What was so disturbing and far from factual in the report is that one in eight women risk dying during pregnancy or childbirth and this is one of the highest maternal death rates in the world” Mohamed D. Koroma Deputy Health minister charged.

    Koroma told Premier News newspaper on Wednesday that the whole report was ‘erroneous’ and an attempt not only to destroy effort by his ministry but the country as a whole. “Today in Sierra Leone every community can boast of a health center or birth attendants and there has never any report of people being refused treatment from them.”

    Dr. Soccoh Kabia similarly said that international organizations including UNICEF, DFID, and Save the Children among others are deliberately ignoring latest statistics by the Macro International company, a reputable American company in collaboration with Statistic Sierra Leone.

    Kabia revealed that the report does not in anyway reflect the current situation in his country. Kabia argued that maternal mortality has reduced from 2005 to 2008 which figures dropped 1300 to 857 which according to him is a decline of 34% while the Under-5 mortality rate dropped from 265 to 140 in 2008 which is a 47% drop. He claimed that a lot of improvement has been done since their administration came to power.

    The AI Secretary-General Irene Khan who is in Sierra Leone with popular Nigerian movie star on the Demand Dignity campaign and also to launch the report was quoted to have said that “…the report acknowledges the improvements but is still concerned that 6 out of 13 districts have no Emergency Obstetrical Care facility.”

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