Living in one of the most powerful countries in the world affords most Americans the privilege of a relatively good healthcare. Expectant mothers in the US are able to obtain quality healthcare throughout their pregnancy, during labor, and beyond. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for other parts of the world. Some developing countries, such as Pakistan, still lag behind in healthcare. According to Farid (2011), Pakistan has a maternal mortality ratio of 280. This is much higher compared to the US with a score of 13. The focus of this article is about the childbirth experience of women in a government hospital in Pakistan. I will discuss a comparison between the childbirth practices in the US and Pakistan.
The author of this article, Huma …show more content…
Hospitals in Pakistan tend to be concentrated in urban areas. This makes it more difficult and expensive for women to have access to medical care. The hospital mentioned in the article had very few rooms, equipment, and supplies to fulfill the needs of the patients. A fetoscope was used to evaluate the fetal heart rate, but an ultrasound was also available for more extensive assessments. Regarding pain management, there were no epidurals and barely any pain control for vaginal deliveries. Items such as antibiotics, oxytocin and sanitary pads (which doubled as gauze) had to be brought in by the patients. The sanitary conditions were deplorable with pests running amok and the labor room working with no running water many times a month. Moreover, it is common for women to seek advice from sources other than healthcare professionals. A “dai” (traditional birth attendant) and a “maulvi” (religious leader) are two people who often guide and deliver the babies of pregnant women in Pakistan. The adult literacy rate in Pakistan is 54% (Farid, 2011). In the article, the lack of health knowledge and available medical care contributes to the poor health outcome of women and their